It's a small world after all

20000 dolls dancing simply, beating drums, and endlessly chanting “It’s a small, small world” is the ultimate in indoctrination. After 15 minutes of it you believe you understand the meaning of life (42) and actually start humming the tune. Such is the power of Disneyland.

However if you do not remember Annette Funicello, “Ven you vish upon a star”, “Zippity-do-dah” or the music to “Have Gun, Will Travel” then much of Disneyland would be lost to you. It is a museum to the 40s, 50s and 60s. The imaginative rides are just as they were 40 years ago. 30 years before Johnny Depp the jailed Pirates of the Caribbean were trying to coax the dog with the keys in its mouth. They are still trying – unsuccessfully (When will they ever learn, when will they ee-ever learn). The technology and setting of the Haunted House seems to be the same as it was in the 70s. Innovative and imagination seem to have died since then. Except perhaps for “Honey, I shrunk the audience” – which is only about 20 years old. However most of Disneyland is in the immaculately planned and maintained buildings and settings. The “kiddies-rides” are at least in a much more modern technology – they used to be a bit old and tatty. But the kids still love it – and the parents suffer it.

Walt Disney studios next door is rather Mickey Mouse-ish. The demonstration of car-chases in a confined area was better than Movieworld's but the rest is …. as I said.

Late trip back to Paris for a last look at the awful tower. Arrived at 10 pm. The sun was still setting and tee-shirt and shorts were still in order!! And thousands of Parisiens were out in force, picnic-ing and wining and dining. Life does go on – even after a soccer loss.. A quick last run up the Tower (“my God ---– my legs work ! I can walk !!” – as Dr Strangelove said on HIS last day. I thought mine were dead after Versailles and the 17 km of galleries in the Louvre). Oh, well, time for one ‘Last tango in Paris’ today, then, click the red shoes three times and back we go to the Land of Oz. Yes Dorothy there is no place like home – but please do not pass the butter.

A quiet last day in Paris

With Graeme off running around Disneyland and Disney Studios, the Sheards and I have had a lovely peaceful museum-free day walking in Paris. We did "Hip Paris" from Les Halles to the Marais, and some of "Undiscovered Paris" near Gare du Lyon. Everywhere are wonderful buildings and small parks to relax in. At lunchtime we found ourselves in Rue des Rosiers, heart of the Jewish district, where we had a great falafel in pita bread - apart from the falafel, hummus, tahini they added red cabbage and eggplant; it was so yummy.

Judy got us around in the best way on the metro, and also provided the commentary from her Michelin guide. The Metro is fantastic - it looks to us as though the average time between trains on all lines is around 3 minutes. What a pity it can't be like that in Melbourne.

We are about to go out for our usual 3 course fixed price dinner - also delicious food with lots of choices. After dinner we'll hop on the metro to visit the 59 story Mont Parnasse tower, for a final night-time view of Paris. Home tomorrow!!

Paris and the World Cup

The penalty shoot out is about to start and the streets are full of excited French people and the odd Italian group. There is lots of noise and people are painted and dressed in French flags/colours. All very exciting. The street near us with lots of little restaurants has crowds outside each restaurant with a large screen TV. Paris is awash with World cup fever. In spite of this Graeme has gone on a night bus tour - the rest of us will go tomorrow night while G is at Disneyland - when it's safer and there are no street blockages.

If France win the soccer the Sheards and I will hop on a train to the Champs Elysees to share the excitement; if they lose I think I should get rid of the Italian flag that happens to be on our balcony!

In Paris, everything does NOT revolve around the Church

In fact the Church revolves around a piece of string (or actually, wire). That is what Foucault brilliantly proved when he suspended a long pendulum from the roof of the Pantheon. Whilst others where looking to the stars, he looked inside the Pantheon, set up his pendulum and proved the Pantheon rotates 270 degrees around the pendulum every day. And hence that the earth was not the centre of the universe; that people were not the be all and end all, and that we are all as insignificant and stupid as sand pebbles. Which certainly explains the weird behaviour of the OTHER members of our group !

Joo-day in particular has gone ga-ga. Put a map of Paris in her hand and she thinks she is Napoleon. Unfortunately the intertwining network of Metro and other rail in Paris means there are about 20000 ways to get from A to B. Joo-day refuses to accept that I can optimise the trips better than her. There is no way you can understand some people.

However in Paris – with Versailles, the Louvres, the Ile de the Cite, and other excesses you certainly see the way megalomaniacal psychopaths rise to the top of the heap in a crisis. At least we deal with such people more simply these days. WE merely give them a couple of dozen people to manage, give them a super high monthly pay, give them membership to an exclusive golf-course, and give them an impressive title such as psychiatrist, or general manager. They do far less damage to society that way.

Well I have seen the top 10 Paris sites = all the excesses of the megalomaniacs. Today (Sun, Jul 9) was Versailles and the Louvre. Doing both in a day is like doing the Tour de Mont Blanc in a day. The Louvre is HUGE (as is Versailles). 98% of the art could be dispersed to other museums and it would still be a big museum. We almost lost Kitty in Paris. The ‘Versailles police’ blew whistles at her non-stop because she stood on some concrete to take a photo. Finally she hopped off on to GRASS. They charged towards her. I screamed out “Jetez-lui dans La Bastille (Throw her in the Bastille !) but – she got off in time. Merde !

Yesterday was the Pantheon, Conciergerie, Notre Dame, St. Michel, etc., the previous day the Musee d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, and Rodin musee. It all blurs. A bit of reality tomorrow. Disneyland ! Then next day – home !

Meanwhile Paris is crazy tonight. Something about a football match. Apparently it is likely that Paris will be burnt to the ground if the French lose – or if they win. I may go on a night bus trip but apparently you have to be mad. Thanks Mark for the certificate.

44 hours to go.

Cheers.

A few TMB photos

s

A few funny stories

At Auberge de la Nova on day 2 we had someone with a strong French accent telling us what was available for dessert. We thought she said “dry cheese” or “lychees with cream”. 3 of us ordered lychees which turned out to be “white cheese with cream”.

In Courmayeur we went to the same restaurant both nights as the fixed price menu was excellent. There were about 6 choices for dessert and Jenny bravely tried the “beer and chocolate cake” on the second night. When it arrived it had no beer but a lot of pears in it! Again a problem with accents!

On the Amalfi coast John wanted Judy, Sue and me to sit on a rock for a photo. I said – OK we’ll be like 3 shags on a rock (for those who don’t know a shag is a type of sea bird). Then came Judy’s classic comment “I feel like a shag on a rock”.

While sitting in deck chairs admiring Mont Blanc at Refugio Bonatti, an English couple arrived and the woman said how glad she was to finally be there (she was wearing elastic bandages on both knees and was obviously in pain). Mean Graeme quickly told here that the refuge was full and she would have to walk on another 20k to the next refuge! They actually had a booking and we became good friends; her husband has Graeme’s same wicked sense of humour. We became even better friends when I gave her all my Voltarin tablets and her knee pain was cured overnight. The tablets lasted her to the end of TMB.

On day 2 I had just had a shower and washed my knickers, socks and T shirt (the daily routine). We were carrying the minimum of spare clothes (one spare pair of knickers and socks) so imagine my horror when I could not find my spare knickers in my pack, and the other pair were now wet. Then I remembered that to save space I had packed them in my spare shoes!

The TMB has ended

Well we are now on a bullet train to Paris. The TMB has ended – not with a whimper but with a cloudburst. Fortunately it occurred one hour after we arrived in Chamonix. For the entire TMB we did not get wet – almost unheard of. Most people get about 3 days of wet weather. We had sunny, clear skies and clear mountains for most of the trip. I claimed credit for organising the weather but this has not generally been accepted.

From Champex in Switzerland we split up. The Scarlett contingent took the hard, high route over the Fenetre D’arpete saddle (2665 m), involving an ascent of 1200m. Lots of boulder scrambling and steep ups and downs. It took 9.5 hours. The Sheard contingent took the lower Bovine route - about 5 hours – then caught a taxi to Martigny to see the Museum of St. Bernard dogs ! At least they could have seen the NY Met exhibition there – or gone to Montreux for the Jazz Festival. . Being last in Kitty and I got the top bunks – Kitty had 4 to 5 inches between her bed and the lowest part of the roof. If she had turned in bed quickly she would have broken both feet. Booking all the accommodation certainly gave her no privileges that night.

Next day was a 1000m climb to the Col de Balme from Trient. The Col de Balme is the border between Switzerland and France and the start of the trip down the Chamonix valley. At Trient the other 5 marched on whilst John and I looked at a map. I pointed out the direction and off John went to join the others. At the first intersection they had disappeared – with all the maps and track notes. I went straight on and 10 minutes later heard them calling out from up the hill that I had gone the wrong way. No I yelled back confidently without any notes or maps – “you have gone the wrong way”. Off we went in our separate ways. When I arrived at the Col 2 hours later they were nowhere to be seen. As I was about to leave 30 minutes later they sheepishly started coming in, in dribs and drabs – having back-tracked. They did not really like me saying that I was better at map-reading without a map than they were with one. Kitty very observantly noticed my back-pack amongst dozens up there but failed to notice the spectacular view of the clear Mont Blanc massif, straight ahead. Some people focus on the detail and others on the big picture.

The trip down from Col de Balme to Tre-le-champ (near Chamonix) was great. Great views of the long NW side of the Mont Blanc massif plus millions of wild flowers, picturesque pine forests, and views of the valley with Chamonix ahead. Sue thought we were getting bored so did a face plant to amuse us. Unfortunately she failed to notice there was no snow so came up a little black and blue. I told her that if she wanted to sue John for assault I would testify as star-witness – she is considering.

Accommodation that night was a little crowded. We were lucky that we had a room with a door to the outside air. Even so it was stifling with the door open. The people in the room next to us only had a small window to OUR room ! One woman, a senior IT manager, woke in the night with a panic attack and tried to crawl out through the window ! She thought she was in a concentration camp. I certainly could not have survived in the top bunk in her room.

The next day we walked up 730 m to La Flegere. Four of us took the ‘ladder route’ which required climbing up a series of ladders on a cliff face. A little scary – but at least the weather and views were once again great. Judy, John and Sue added 200m to the ascent by continuing to Lac Blanc, but since the lake was partly frozen there were no reflections of Mont Blanc like in the postcards. La Flegere is a ski area on the north side of the Chamonix valley. Mont Blanc is on the opposing south side. Our refuge had a window so I could lie on my bunk (we ALL had bottom bunks fortunately) and look out at the million dollar view. Most of the refuges had million dollar views ! A major storm occurred late afternoon, with some people (not us) coming in VERY wet.

Last day today and the weather was mixed – only a 2 hour walk to the ski lift and then down to Chamonix. Lots of cloud and then non-stop rain. But we had finished the tour dry ! Virtually all of our tour was shorts and tee-shirt weather. I wore my Rivers shoes for 90% of the walk – and carried my boots in my pack. A British accountant we travelled with did one better. He wore sandals all the way! Most of what was in my pack was not used. However if you saw the intensity of some of the night storms than you would certainly carry the lot!

Overall the best of trips with the best of weather. Watch out for the slde night with 800 slides – plus of course a full-length video - coming to a house near you. Meanwhile we are speeding along at 300 kph on the approach to Paris. Kitty has, of course, bought a Tee-shirt with the TMB map on it. However the peaks and valleys on it are too flat and do not seem to represent the true terrain. We may need another model.

I'm sitting on top of the world - just rolling along....

Day 8 of TMB and we are at Champex - a very pretty alpine resort with a lake, paddle-o's and the whole kitty-caboodle. The Mont Blanc massif is about 40 km or so long and runs from SW to NE. On the northish side is basically a long valley (with a high saddle-point or two) with Chamonix in the middle. At the southish side is another long glacial valley (Val Veni and Val Ferret). We are now in the NE corner and getting near the home stretch, having gone anticlockwise down to the SW corner around to the southish vally and all the way up it to the NE top. The massif is FULL of glaciers - I guess at least 50 marked on the map. Most of the accomodation we are staying at has a million dollar view of a glacier and various other peaks and valleys. Great views and well as beautiful quiet Swiss (or French or Italian) valleys. But do you have to walk to see the scenery ??? Lets rewind. Day 5 was our rest day in Courmayeur and it was really cloudy. However we decided to catch the lift up to Hellbrunner on the Mont Blanc massif. The views you could see through the clouds looked good but it was too cloudy to do the interesting lift-trip acrooss the top of the massif to Aiguille de midi on the north side (above Chamonix). Sue and Jenny caught the lift down. We decided to with the Sheards. But Kitty decided to go to the loo andwhen she emerged we decided the clouds may lift. Too late for the Sheards - they were on their way down. The lift across to Aiguille de Midi and the views from Aiguille de Midi were literally breath-taking. It is perched on a solid rock 12,600 ft high. Chamonix is straight down below some 9000 feet. It really is the ride on a lifetime and should NOT be missed under any circumstances. Pity it was still cloudy but wecould see the peak of Mont Blanc. Day 6 - a huge walk - descibed by Kitty previously. Not a cloud in the sky. To hell with the walk I am going back up to the Aiguille de Midi. Judy decides to come along also. It is a day to dream about. The views are indescribable. Vast numbers of people are out on the glaciers - many are walking to the top of Mont Blanc (about 4800 m). Others are hang-gliding of the Aiguille - down the glaciers to Chamonix. All the peaks are visible including the Matterhorn some 40 or 60 km away. To die for. A very happy Judy and I then went back to Courmayeur and trekked up the valley to the refugio where the others went. Despite two totally different itineries for the day we arrived at the refuge within 30 seconds of each other. Each group was happy that THEY had chosen the best option for the day. Day 7 and day 8 we continued NW in perfect weather. Again great views, as described above, and great accomodation. The TMB really is a great walk (if you can put up with the walking). Again so far no casualties or dropouts. An occasional personality clash or two but no stabbings - nothing a foursome of psychiatrists could not sort out for half a million dollars each. (Do you like the new collective term, Markus Torquamadus ?) Only 4 day to go .

Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti - can it possibly get any better??

The day out of Courmayeur was an up 1500m, down 900m day which sounds horrific but was out of this world. The day dawned clear as a bell and Graeme decided to opt out and revisit the Aiguille du Midi again (see his post). Judy went with him as she had missed out on the rest day and the remaining 4 did the TMB high route. It was magnficent - once we ascended to the ridge the hard work was mainly over and the views in all directions were stupendous. Mont Blanc was visible all the time as well as countless other peaks and aiguilles (needles ie. pointy jagged peaks usually without snow). I have never felt so exhilarated in my life. We arrived at Rifugio Bonatti at the same time as Judy and Graeme who had come the short way down the valley after their great cable car trip. So everyone was happy. We all sat out in deck chairs on the terrace in front of Mont Blanc and the Grand Jorasses and relaxed and soaked up the view. The refuge was great - we had private rooms, and dinner was 4 courses of delicious food. To anyone doing the TMB I would recommend staying in at least a couple of refuges to complete the experience. It's now 2 days later and we have crossed the Grand Col Ferret (pronounced ferray) to return to Switzerland. Unfortunately photos will have to wait until Paris - they may help to capture some of the amazing scenery.

TMB - one day down, ten left

Well today we started the tour of Mt Blanc, an 11 day walking tour around the Mont Blanc massif, covering about 170 km and ascending and descending around 8000m at least. We all were ruthless in deciding what to put in our packs but still they seem so heavy - probably 8 or 9 kgs each.

We made today a little easier by taking a cable car up 600m, but still we were stuffed when we arrived at Hotel Le Grizzli in Les Contamines. The pack did seem to get lighter by the end of the day; maybe because we ate lunch and drank water, or maybe we were adjusting. Tomorrow will be a test as we have to ascend 1300m and descend 900m. If we survive thqt the rest of the tour should be doable.

There is no Internet cafe here but the hotel owner is letting us use his notebook. However the French keyboard is a chqllenge as the letters A and Q are swapped around and I have to keep correcting things.

Graeme had quite some difficulty with breathing on the Zermatt walk so we are hoping he is ok tomorrow with the altitude being a couple of hundred metres lower.

There will probably be no more posts until Courmayeur in 3 days.

TMB or not TMB – that is the question

Sat. Jun 24 – Chamonix. Tomorrow is the moment of truth. We start the walk. The last couple of days at Zermatt has taught us that we are barely up to it or not up to it. I was very short of breath when ascending – especially at over 8000 feet and every step seemed like an unwanted effort. Trying to go 1600 m vertically up (or even 1000m.) with an even heavier pack is just too much. It is just as well today is a travel day or TMB may have been cancelled. Oh well time will tell - we can always skip a day's walking. TMB is going to be like doing 10 nonathlons in a row. Skipping TMB may have been a smart move, Maureen and Noel (are you still stranded in Italy !!) but Zermatt and Chamonix are not to be missed. In my view they are far more spectacular than the Amalfi and Cinqua terre.

The views of the Alps at Zermatt, yesterday, were out of this world. A super-hard walk 1000m up from Zermatt almost killed me but yielded unbelievable 360 degree panoramas. Photos and video footage is simply useless – again, you just have to be there.

The train trip from Zermatt to Chamonix is also spectacular. Great views of Switzerland, up the rack-rail above the Triente gorge at about 6000 or 8000 feet and then down to Chamonix with great views of Mont Blanc. Chamonix is a pleasant village but has not quite got the atmosphere of Zermatt. However the views are stunning.

For the last few days we have had the joys of free wireless internet in our rooms so the computers have saved a LOT of money. Instant connectivity – no cables. Even before then typing out an email on Word, putting it on a USB key and going to an Internet café saved us about $A 10 a pop. However next time we will see if we can take a light PDA rather than a heavy laptop.

So TMB starts ….. blog entries will be less frequent no doubt as Kitty and Judy refuse to hike with their laptops strapped to them. God, they are selfish !

Not with a bang but a Whymper

Is the Matterhorn really worth seeing ? Well if you look at the panoramic videos (eg at http://ski-zermatt.com/mattnet/features/panoramas/gornergrat_winter_sm.htm you can see that it is just a blip on a wide mountain range. Those panoramas of the Matterhorn in the film “Third Man on the Mountain” (Michael Rennie, 1959) must have been fake. When we got to Zermat all we could see was a tiny blip that may have been it. Disappointing. But next morning – a phenomenal mountain had appeared from nowhere. A huge rock stretching about 4500 feet into the sky. Pictures and videos are a waste of time, (as they are with the statue of David in Florence) – they cannot portray the panorama. An absolute must see. Edward Whymper – the first person to climb it certainly chose his mountain (but not his ropes – one snapped on the way down and 4 people were killed). Oh well Zermat town has open cemeteries to the dead climbers.

Anyway to rewind.

Tues 20 We are still in Italy (Cinqua Terre). Kitty decides we should walk 10 km north around the coast to Levanto. Maureen and Noel head south. However our first few hours are not on the coast and are spent walking up very steep hills in very hot sticky weather. Eventually get to Levanto – a pleasant-enough, very cheap, non-touristy seaside town. We immediately eat lunch and the others decide to go home. I stay to have a swim and look at the 13^th century medieaval city walls and the small castle. Interrupted by SMS saying come home immediately we may have to leave Monterosso ASAP (train strike). Start coming back and get another SMS – don’t bother cannot get a train. (Italy loves strikes). Go back and get near home at 5:00pm when notice a boat trip down the coast – so dive aboard – with 30 seconds to spare. Boat trip gives views of the Cinqua Terre villages and is OK but missable. As was the last stop (Riomaggore). I find the boat is going another 10-15 km to Portovenere – another mediaeval town. Portovenere looks stunning with a huge castle above it and great port. I would recommend staying there rather than the Cinqua Terre. As I am working out how to get home (no map again, little money) the boat announces it is going further south (futher away) to La Spezia. But at least I know a train goes thru there. Get to La Spezia and ask a bus driver the way to the station. He says he does not know then looks me in the eye and says go ‘that way’ (further south). I don’t believe him (most Italians try to help with directions via a vague wave of direction – never a distance, or street detail – but too often a tourist-hating Italian will deliberately point you in the opposite direction). Anyway La Spezia looked a very nice real Italian town. It suddenly occurred to me that we had not really seen anything but ‘top tourist’ traps to date. Got home just in time for dinner.

Wed 21 Time to get out of Italy – across the Alps. Just like Hannibal but with me as the key elephant. Noel and Maureen are left stranded in Monterosso – no trains the Trenitalia (Italian train system – Judy tends to call it the Jenny Taylor !) claim. We pick up a jet-lagged Jenny in Milan (no Mark – not the above one) and head north for our first class train. (PS If anyone is going to Italy do NOT use a Eurail pass for here – it just aint worth the money). Off North past Lake Maggiore and into the mountains – through deep valleys and eventually a tunnel to Switzerland. We are OUT of Italy at last – with our trip almost half way through. From Brig in Switzerland we catch the rack-railway to Zermatt. Expensive (36 Sw Francs) but a good trip. Our Zermatt accommodation (Matterhorngrosse) is fantastic. New and even free wireless internet in our apartment.

Thurs 22 We go to Gornergrat – in two groups of three (Boy - decisions are x100 easier with three than 6). Gornergrat is about 10,000 feet up and gives views of 29 peaks above 4000 m. (which is MOST of the 35 ? Swiss peaks above 4000 m.). The panoramic web-site at the top of this episode is good but as stated gives no real indication of the breath-taking panorama. You have to be here. The Sheard triad walked up most of the way whilst the conservative Scarlett triad took a rack-train to the top. A few tired bodies tonight – but the views must equal anything we would see on Mont Blanc. Maybe we don’t have to go there …………………..

The septa terrors invade Cinqua Terra

Fri June 16 - We escape the scammers and pickpockets of Firenze (still Florence) for the relative peace and calm of Siena (about an hour out of Florence by bus). Siena is an attractive almost mediaeval town in a walled city. Lots of narrow, windy streets, a huge open, sort of circular plaza, the ever present campanile – with hundreds of steps to climb (unless you are one of the coffee-addicted, copout crew), and the usual churches, etc. It is smaller and more pleasant (and safer) to walk around than Florence. Then onto another bus to San Gimignano – a tiny mediaeval town that is again walled, and is famous for the towers that the populace built to show that ‘ours is bigger than yours’. They built about 56 towers of which about one-third remain. Even so from the distance it looks, somewhat deceptively, like a town of skyscrapers. More bloody steps to climb – and more gelatis required to recover. Meanwhile John and Noel had another cup of coffee and then they went home.


Sat. June 17 - After two weeks the gang of seven finally make their first sensible decision. They all split up and people go where they want. I went to the Pitti Palace, just south of the Arno. Very interesting with beautiful frescos and ceiling sculptures on the royal rooms and apartments. At last some more modern Florentine art with classical action-based Greek figures rather than sombre religious ones. A little more like Versailles than what we have seen to date. Nice gardens at the back – but as always the grab for the tourist dollar. You want the see the Royal Palace – 8.5 Euro (about 15-16 dollars). Oh, and the gardens – another 8 euros. And you want a map of the apartments – buy a book for another 8 euros. On and you want photos – buy them – you will be tackled to the ground if you pull out a camera ! Meanwhile John and Noel had another cup of coffee and then they went home.


The 50 dollar tour of the Uffizzi gallery was another expensive necessity. You do not get to see many paintings – in the approx 1 hour tour but you do get to understand something of the history and development of art. These expensive guided tours are all organised at the end of the day, with numerous groups competing for access to the highlights and yelling together so that their groups can hear. At the end there is no time to see anything else as the gallery closes. Get the money then short-change the customer. What a change from 30 years ago when you could see all the galleries of Italy for a few dollars. Meanwhile John and Noel had another cup of coffee and then they went home.

Anyway Judy and I prepared a magnificent meal of minestrone soup, pollo (chicken) with grain and funghi, fruit salad and ice-cream. Everyone complained that we had taken short cuts but they don’t realise how difficult it is to prepare soup when the instructions on the packet are in Italian. And they devoured a phenomenal amount of it.

Sunday June 18 – Off to Cinqua Terra (be careful not to read these Italian terms out loud or the pseudo-Italian Pronounciation Police (John and Kitty) will pounce on you). Getting to Florence station was a huge 1.5-2 km walk as once again I was toting all my gear, Kitty’s suitcase and the computer. Once again as we passed the Piazza del Santa Maria Novella the others with light loads left me behind. However, luckily, this time I was not robbed. The thieves must have been away spending their last spoils).
We got to Cinqua Terra OK with Noel and Maureen (our star-fare evaders) narrowly avoiding being caught for not having a ticket as the ticket inspector checked our tickets a couple of minutes before our destination (the fine is x40 the fare – no excuses accepted). Noel waved his invalid tickets at the inspector trying to show his guilt but I beckoned for him to shut-up and put them away. He did and avoided detection. Once Kitty had walked us a few too many times all around Monterosso (our destination) with my load of super-heavy cases (“Why didn’t you listen to my instructions and call me at the station” the owner said – much to her chagrin). We debated for an hour on what to do – by which time it was too late for me to go back to Pisa. So 2 or 3 of us went to the ‘beach’. The rich ones rented a brolly and chair at the beach (15 Euro) and I lay elsewhere on the pebbles to recover. The sea is still cold and once you are 5 metres in it is VERY deep (you cannot see the bottom). Well at least I have sunbaked and swam on the Cinqua Terra. Meanwhile John and Noel had another cup of coffee and then they went home.


Monday June 19 - In the morning we decided to do the Cinqua terra walk – a world famous walk along the cliffs for 11 km and going to 4 other picturesque villages – all built in impossible positions. Lots of postcard-type views but as Kitty mentioned this was only about one-quarter of what a hard day of our TMB tour would be like. Still it took all day and wrecked us. Maybe a motor-bike tour around Mont Blanc is in order! (Just kidding, Jenny – don’t turn back now). Meanwhile John and Noel had another cup of coffee and then they went home.

The Cinque Terra – more stunning villages clinging to the cliffs

We got to the Cinque Terra easily by train. Prices here are way higher than Florence. We are paying about the same for our apartment as in Florence but it is about one third the size. Our bed is in the kitchen! The bathroom is so small you can barely dry yourself after showering.

Today we took the train from Monterosso where we are staying at the north end to Rio Maggiore at the south end, and did the 5 villages walk back. It was great – see photos. Quite a bit of up and down and stunning scenery. It’s a bit of a worry that we only walked 10 km and ascended maybe 180m and we are exhausted – that
is nothing compared to what we’ll be doing on TMB next week.

John has been learning Italian for a couple of years now and is finding our group’s pronunciation of Italian a trial. Cinque Terra is pronounced Chinkwa Terra but Graeme insists on Sankwa Terra. Meanwhile Sue can’t get her head around duomo (cathedral), pronounced dwommo – she insists on doomo. John keeps correcting but to no avail. Surprisingly I still remember the bit of Italian I picked up over 30 years ago when my mother learnt Italian and played recordings constantly at home.

Florence -It is easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle ….

Italy must have the highest proportion of thieves, scammers in the world. And in Florence (Firenze) they are the most blatant. It says an awful lot for the Catholic religion. Three of us have been robbed, scammed, or had money appropriated. The Sheards are next in line. Noel was scammed in Rome. He helped someone who purportedly was in trouble an for his trouble was given two free leather coats worth about $600 each ! No payment required in any form. Except the guy was having trouble getting his petrol card to work – could Noel give him some money. 50 Euro is handed over. “Perhaps a little more?”. Another 50 Euro. 2 days later the ‘leather coats fell apart – and smelt awfully of plastic. Another member left her wallet in a café. On her return – no-one knew a thing about it. And then in Firenze, the gang of five decided to walk about 1.5 km from the station to the apartment. At one Piazza I started to go one way but the other 4, despite all of them saying they didn’t know where to go decided to charge off in another direction. As they walked off, a guy walked up to me and put his arm around me and started jostling my legs. I felt something in my pocket and yelled out “You’ve got my wallet” – the guy took off – with an accomplice. I dropped the suitcase and ran after him with a heavy pack on my pack. The others were too far away to help. By the time I dropped my pack near Kitty, 50 or so metres away, it was too late. Goodbye thief and goodbye wallet. Other stories today tell of people, in Firenze, just snatching backpacks and running. Others beg for money and when you get out your wallet, grab it and run off with it. These are things that happened TODAY, not some time in the past ! cafes near tourist places may charge 4 times that of more remote cafes. Churches that were free 30 years ago now charge $10 admittance – oh, and another $10 per person for an audio guide – just in case you want to know what you are seeing Yes, Italy – you have a lot to recommend you – as a training ground for thieves, rip-off merchants, scammers and other scum. Florence MUST be the worst. DO NOT COME HERE WITHOUT A LOADED GUN !!

However there are still fascinating historical things about Florence. It is a place not to be missed. The statue of David is still stunning (when it was completed it had to be guarded day and night in the Piazza due to the vandals of the day – things have only worsened since then). The Accademia, where David is housed was impressive – although David, quite rightly, dominates the museum/gallery. The Duomo, Campanile and Bapistry are also spectacular – however their artistry is a constant reminder of how the Church deliberately tried to over-awe the populace and keep them scared and under control.

On Saturday we will avoid the 2 hour queue for Uffizi Gallery (arguably the best Rennaissance Gallery in the world) by paying $50 a head instead of about $15. Oh well, SKIM, SKIM, SKIM.

Travelling with the Gang of Five is fine if you don’t mind going ultra-slowly and not doing much. Yesterday it took us 5 hours to get 24 km. Three hours was arguing over which train to catch. “ Lets catch the fast Milan train in 10 minutes – Florence must go near there” “Don’t be ridiculous, Graeme Florence is hundreds of kilometres away from there !” “ No – it could not be” “ Yes – off COURSE it is !!!!!. So we wait an hour, eventually give up and catch a slow train to Naples, and then a slower train to Rome. And at Rome we catch a slow train to Florence. Oh, and it is the slow train to Milan. (ALL trains to Milan, go though Florence !). So we get into Florence at about 11.00pm – (about 5 hours after Noel and Maureen who were with us but paid an extra 15 Euro to get a fast train) – and we are too scungy to get a taxi – and then we get robbed !

Well at least the day before this we had a good day. Caught the bus through the ultra-windy coastal road from Amalfi to Positano. Then walked uphill a couple of km., around the hills for 10 km and finally down to the next town. The views were stunning. Steep precipitous cliffs and ravines, ancient villages often perched precariously of the cliffs, panoramic vistas of the Meditteranean. Etc. You would have loved it Jenny. Except for the end where we got down just in time to catch the bus. 30 minutes later – no bus. “Does the bus ever come early?” we ask the store keeper next to the bus stop. “NEVER !” he replies. We wait another hour at the stop for the next bus. Finally it arrives and leaves with us on it – 10 minutes BEFORE its due time. We glare at the shop-keeper as we leave. Mussolini obviously never had time to focus on the Amalfi buses.

Italy - Amalfi, photos, trains and troubles

We had little time to get to an Internet cafe in Amalfi; hence the long delay between posts. Above are some of the photos from there. We had a great 4 days there and were set to have a great 3 days in Florence when the day from hell hit.

Yesterday we got to the train station at Salerno at 1030 am and did not get to Florence until 11pm!! We waited hours as the trains were delayed due to some protest that had blocked the lines. To cap it all off while walking from the station to the apartment (no taxi at station!) Graeme was approached by 2 guys who chatted and appeared friendly and then promptly stole his wallet from his pocket - normally it is in the bum bag but alas not this time. So we then had to phone Australia (at $5 a minute I think) to cancel the cards - not a fast process as you go through the automated menus and get put on hold. I dread to think how much the phone bill will be.

On the plus side - Judy's luggage has turned up, we still have a flexi card for getting money from our savings account, our apartment is magnificent (3 huge bedrooms, separate lounge and kitchen and even a washing machine and dishwasher), and Florence is as beautiful as ever although there are too many tourists - wish it was only us! Graeme will fill in details soon no doubt - he loves keeping the blog updated, especially with embellishments.

Twas on the isle of Capri – but I did not find her !

After the miracle of us all meeting up in Rome we are on the road to Sainthood. Only one more miracle needed. If we ever get Judy’s luggage back or find the wallet left in a café in Rome (not by one of the men !) then Sainthood is guaranteed.

Our apartment, Antico Dimora, about 1.5 km west of Amalfi is fine. It has three separate bedrooms - each with an ensuite, a reasonable eating cooking area, and good views of the Meditteranean. The Amalfi coast is quite spectacular – although it is best seen by walking around (beware - millions of steps !). The Amalfi coast is in the next bay down from the Bay of Naples. In mid-summer the peninsular becomes a 50km traffic jam. The roads are much more windy, narrow and precipitous than the Great Ocean Road. Even walking them is a risky venture as buses and large vehicles often only leave a couple of inches between them and the wall.

On Saturday we walked up a ravine to Ravello – home of Gore Vidal and old playground of Jackie Kennedy. Highlights were the great views, and car-watching as vehicles negotiated a steep hair-pin bend which was absolutely covered with fresh oil. Noel guided us through a standard labyrinths of narrow streets, paths, and steps to get above the towns of Amalfi and Atrani.

Sunday was a trip, for three of us, to Sorrento (by ferry), Mt. Vesuvius (by train and bus) and Pompeii – all on the Bay of Naples. No sign of volcanic activity on Vesuvius but we were hit with a cloudburst on top. Boy, was it cold. Vesuvius is about 1200 m high and has a crater about 300 m. deep. We got a few minutes of sunny view of Naples before the rain hit us again. Down to Pompeii. Pompeii is huge – a full-sized town with hundreds of shops, houses, and other buildings – theatres, amphitheatres, a cemetery, and even a brothel or two. Most of it is in a poor state and/or closed off – but there is tons to see. The first hour was miserable as it was pouring with rain and the two controlling women kept finding that the audio guide we had bore NO relation to the site we were at. Then the sun came out and the two controllers found they were entering the wrong numbers on the audio guide. Everything became much better after that. Until the two controllers left early and I stayed on. “Just get back to Sorrento before 7:25 to catch the bus home (a 2 hr bus ride). If you miss it catch the 9:00 bus”. Well I got to Sorrento before 7:25 and waited for an hour with 15 other people – no bus. We asked when is the next bus – tomorrow we were told. Great – I had no money, my mobile was about to die, I was in shorts and had not eaten since lunch – and no way home. Oh well Plan B. Hopped on the train back to Pompeii (a 30 min trip in the WRONG direction), walked two or three km to the other Pompeii station (with the words of Lonely Planet ringing in my ears – “Pompeii becomes exceedingly seedy after dark – do not stay there overnight”, then found a train to Salerno (30 minutes South by train). No ticket – but got on. At Salerno the big question was – was there a bus to Amalfi at that time (10:00 pm on a Sunday). Waited 40 minutes with 3 drunk guys - a Pole, a Russian and a Romanian – and tried to converse in German with them. Not very successfully. As we were negotiating a 100 Euro taxi fare to Amalfi (24 km away) a bus pulled in. Again no ticket but got on and eventually got home at about midnight. The others all put on their Queen Victoria act “We are not amused”.

Monday was a boat trip to Capri – we all got up and down to the pier in dribs and drabs. John was last to the boat, almost missing it, in his quest to find the perfect Italian coffee. Capri is an island for the rich and famous. Crowds of tourists and hundreds of boutique Armani and whatever shops in narrow labyrinths of malls. John was almost arrested by the Caribiniera (Police) because his chair at the café extended too far out on the road. More police here on Capri that we have seen anywhere. (Well except in Athens when I said to Kitty – lots of police around - and she said where – and I pointed to the dozens of police surrounding her – with full riot gear, machine guns, huge prisoner vans, etc. They were either expecting Kitty or a major riot). We (well someone in our group) decided we should walk up to the highest peak. This took most of the day. Lots of good views but again walking on the roads is a very risky business. The Blue Grotto (Grotta Azrrura) was closed so we missed that – c’est la vie. Actually only Kitty and I tried to get there but gave up when told it was closed. A quick look at the Med. At then ferry back home. None of us have tried swimming yet. Well we are not here for the weather – are we ???

Rome was not built in a day - but it was seen in one

We arrived in Rome about 9:30 pm Thursday. Finding a hotel was not so easy. An indian restaurant man offered us accomodation for 80 Euro but also wanted 12 >Euro to store our luggage for half a day. All other cheap hotels were full he said. An Aussie who was staying there told us he was a good guy but almost fell over at the price. We decided to look elsewhere and found a very good hotel for the same price. And no storage charge. Next day was Rome in a day. I decided to do the Vatican first. The queues looked huge but Kitty said it would only take 30 minutes. 40 mins. later I got her to walk to the start of the queue. She returned 10 minutes later - the queue went around 3 more streets - so we gave up. We found a free guided tour of Saint Peters which was excellent. Apparently every 25 years the Pope knocks on a bricked up door and his guards smash it down. Anyone who then walks through the door skips his time at purgatory and has his sins forgiven. The next opning is in abouut 10 years I think - so if I can last that long I can sin like Dorian Gray and then go through the doors and all is forgiven - not even an indulgence to pay. God the catholic religion is great !

After St Peters we saw the Trevi fountain, Victor Emmanual monument, Roman forum, a castello or two, some baths, the colosseum, the Pantheon, and a few other sites, sights, or cites.

Then back to Roma Terminii to met the others. All of out communication was in disarray. We had altered times and places to meet Sue and the Sheards but had not heard from Sue and discovered Judy was delayed due to a lost bag. We all found each other and eventually headed off to the Anmalfi coast near Naples. Judy is still without luggage. More later. This internet costs as Kitty was banned from the cheap place !!!

Santorini – here we go, Right back where we started from (Athens)

Santorini definitely has a charm – but it can take a while to find once the Caldera is out of view. The Caldera probably has a 70 –80 km circumference Half of this forms the concave western side of the island itself and the other half is either submerged or consists of the island of Thirassia and another uninhabited island. Today (Wed 8th) we took a boat trip to the volcano island of Nea Kameni in the middle of the caldera. This island has only formed (from volcanic activity) in the last few hundred years (similar to the way Krakatoa is emerging again). Only sign of activity today was a sulphur smell near the main ‘active’ crater and a few small fumeroles. From there we went to another nearby island Palea Kameni to swim in the hot springs in an inlet of the sea. Two main problems – you had to swim from the boat about 100 metres or so through the cold, very deep Mediterranean to get there (no pier for boats). Being confident, in such conditions for only 25 metres (the length of Ashburton pool) I ended up swimming about 400 metres as every time I swam on my back I did a 180 degree turn and headed back towards the boat ! But I eventually made it (“Where were you said Kitty calming plastering herself with sulphurous mud – I thought you must have drowned” - even the man at El Greco café in town would have been more concerned. No wonder I dare not fall asleep at night before Kitty does.). The ‘hot springs’ were only a few degrees warmer than the sea. And for this I risked my life !
At Thirassia we had a big meal and then decided to climb ‘the steps’ – to the town of Manalos about 200m higher. It was very hoi – and the town was pretty deserted so we decided to go an extra 100m or so up to the top of the highest hill. Had to bush bash in sandals and with a GPS (supplied by a fellow traveller) to get there but boy was the view worth it. A 360 degree view of the entire Caldera. Then with little time to get back to the boat we raced down the mountain – I beat Kitty by a few minutes so raced into the sea to cool off. Did not even remove my sandals – which was good given the sea-floor consisted of rocks 20 cm plus in size. But we made it to the boat - with at least a minute to spare.
Travelling around Santorini on the lawnmower (the ATV) was OK but its top speed was about 40 kph and it had no fuel gauge. We only ran out of fuel once – in the middle of nowhere – but confidently turned on the 1 litre reserve tank only to find the ATV would not start. After much swearing and cursing, and with Kitty ready to catch a lift into town I found a kick start lever and kick started it. We gingerly drove into Oia on the N end of the island only to find it has NO petrol station. The nearest is 12 km away in Fira. Anyway we joined the thousands of sunset viewers to see the sun go down It did ! And everyone cheered at its successful disappearance (no real sunset however). Then back to Fira on a wing and a prayer (and the sniff of a petrol- soaked rag). We made it – presumably with teaspoons of petrol left. Oh well the man did instruct us to return the ATV with the fuel tank empty !!
Customer service in Santorini varies tremendously – from the restauranteur who looks as though you are imposing when you want to eat there (“No ‘English menu – what you want - Grilled, charcoal, or seafood ? - to the laid back “Nothing’ is too much trouble – so don’t ask for anything. ‘Anything’ is even more trouble” to the Café guys (as in El Greco Café) who treat you like a long lost brother ! As you walk past they call out “Hello how are you – you went past on a motorbike before, come shake my hand, how are you, and so on ! – in fact EVERY time we went past he stopped us, shook our hand and welcomed us in! And once in cafes like this the friendly treatment only increased !). At one Internet café (LP recommended) costs were high and Kitty almost got in a fight as she went ONE MINUTE over and hence was charged almost 3 dollars for the one minute (she DID NOT pay)– due to the machine being set up incorrectly – at another they were just great – a setup error and they gave her free access ! It takes all types….. and in Santorini that is what you get)
From here we spend Thursday in Athens, Friday in Rome and Saturday at the Amalfi coast. Life in the fast lane !!

Santorini – Far from the Madding Clients

A bit over a week ago I was still sweating over clients’ problems; now that seems like decades ago. The photos say it all – constant sunshine, picturesque villages, stunning sunsets, azure blue seas. Plus good food and a bit of an up-market hotel. We are in the honeymoon suite of Blue Suites, supposedly a 4 star hotel and quite nice but not what we would call 4 star at home. We do have 2 balconies (one for morning sun and one for afternoon sun), a 4-poster bed, a large sitting room and a lovely pool. But we do NOT have a plug for the bath, shampoo or tea and coffee making facilities. And the “buffet” breakfast is hardly inspiring.
We have shifted from a motor scooter to a 4WD all terrain vehicle (see photo). Lots of people are driving around in them, probably because they are cheaper than a car and do not require a motorcycle license. Yesterday we explored the south end of the island, today the north. Santorini is crescent shaped and is the rim of a volcano that massively exploded around 1600BC. It is almost unique in having the caldera of the volcano in the sea. Other islands to the west make up the rest of the crater rim. Tomorrow we are going on a boat tour to see the volcano centre, hot springs, etc. Then we fly to Athens and the next day to Rome where hopefully 5 of us will meet up at Rome station for the train trip down to the Amalfi coast.
Time to go to the pool for a dip and to read some more of “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” – quite appropriate since it’s partly set in Santorini. Then before dinner it’s down and up the 600 steps and 250m vertical to the sea, a daily effort to stay fit for Tour of Mont Blanc.

No Zorba, a small mobile phone is not a microphone

As Kitty comments we are in Santorini (Saint Irene). Santorini was a beautiful circular island until about 1500 b.c. when it exploded (or more accurately imploded) – possibly the biggest explosion in history. You see, Santorini is not an ‘island’ it is a volcano – set in the sea. The explosion created tidal waves (sorry , Tsunamis) 250m. high It is believed that this tsunami wiped out the Minoan civilisation on Crete and that the sinking of half the island created Plato’s tales of Atlantis. The result is a spectacular huge caldera in the sea, with Santorini creating part of the caldera rim. On One side Santorini has a huge semi-circular inlet (part of the caldera) with cliffs 200-300m. high. On the other side it is flatter and has beaches – but no sand. It has red and black ‘sand’ made of tiny volcanic rock and pumice. When you walk into the sea you may find (after getting through a few yards of rough stones) that the floor of the sea is solid rock – or more correctly solid lava. And it is quite slippery. Quite a different experience. The black ‘sand’, even at this time of year, gets hot – unbearably hot within 2-3 steps. Consequently they lay down planks to walk on and provide lounges to lie on (for 5-8 Euros a pop). Anyway the volcano is quite safe – it is 50 years since the last earthquake, which decimated the island ! So they rebuilt it on the edge of cliffs – ready for the next earthquake.
So which of the islands is best to date. None really. It all depends on what you want. On any island you can find your little quiet ‘desert island’ (except maybe at high season) or you can find a place to party. Antiparos would be a great place for peace and quiet, Naxos is best for hiking, inland scenery, biking, and doing lots of things, Santorini has that wow factor and is good for 2 or 3 days (but avoid weekends when the main town is a traffic jam) – it also has its quieter but still spectacular spots such as at Oia in the North which has great sunsets (we hope to verify tonight) and create views of the Caldera. With a bike or ATV (all terrain vehicle – like a cross between a mini-beach-buggy and a ride-on mower) you can easily get around Santorini. Just don’t expect Surfers Paradise, Disneyland, Sea World etc.
The people here vary (as they do anyway) – some places will set out to rip you off or annoy you, others will do so without realising (our ‘4 or 5 star hotel’ only provides small teacups as a bowl for your cornflakes and it takes 12 turns of the handle to fill the cup !), and others are extremely helpful (like the old man at the pier who insisted on giving me his warm coat for a couple of days when Kitty told him I had brought NO warm clothes and Santorini was very cold – he has no idea who I am but trusts me to return it).
Ah well, tomorrow a boat trip around the caldera then back to Athens And the title ?
Well in Athens every male seems to think that his mobile phone is a microphone (or a megaphone). They really project into it when they talk – as deep and loud a voice as they can muster. Everyone nearby can hear every word resonate through the streets – we all must understand just how important that little man with his little phone is !!
PS - Where to meet in Rome ! There is a main ticket booth at Roma Station which has an Information Booth in the lobby in front of it. I propose that we meet at the Information Booth at 3:50 pm on Thursday (and if that fails for any reason – at the main ticket box at 4:00 pm). If anyone is running late then please ring Kittys and Judy’s phones.

From Naxos with love

Well Kitty has awoke and has emerged from her chrysalis metamorphosed. And what a metamorphosis. She has emerged ….. a biker’s moll ! When she went into hibernation she was right-wing bike-hater. And now … she loves it. More later.

Yesterday started with predictable chaos. When we arrived at Paros I was prepared for fierce battles with the Domatias (room-owners) but was ill-prepared for the young, gorgeous, soft-spoken lass who easily seduced me into her room at Naoussa. But that unfortunately was the last we saw of her. Her seemingly half-witted brother drove us there, took my passport for details, then disappeared. Relax, NO problem ! he will pick us up Sat at 9 to take us to the boat which departs 10km away at 10:00 am. At 9:20, next day – no dim-witted brother. Kitty frantically rings the owner at Pariki. He doesn’t know why but Relax, NO Problems, he will get the brother to pick us up in 15 min. NO says Kitty – 10 mins max. OK then the owner will drive to us himself with the passport. 20 minutes later a man arrives (without the passport) – Relax, NO problems he says we will get there. He was having coffee with the owner and the owner asked him to pick us up as a favour. Driver curses 2 minutes later when garbage truck picking up garbage blocks the way. No problems – plenty of time he says when he gets past. Foot to the floor for the next 10 km - we pull up at the ferry at 9:58. Dim-witted brother is there – but no gorgeous sister. He sheepishly hands over the passport. He slept in. We pay the money and board. 2 minutes later the ferry leaves for Naxos – with us barely on it. – We Relax, No Worries. We are off to Naxos.

The Greeks are incredible. They stress themselves out by trying to appear relaxed. You cannot talk about problems – you must listen to them (goes down really well with Kitty). No matter what you want they just tell you to be calm, then they give vague and useless information. “where is the internet café” “10 km away in Pariki” “ no, there is one here in Naoussa.” “ No, No – only in Pariki” “well there was one here yesterday and I was in it” “ No it is in Pariki !” Directions are always given by a wave off the hand and a vague “It is down there to the left” “How Far “ you ask, “It is down there” (vague wave of hands). Signs to tourist attractions are the same. There could be 10 yards away, 1 km away (more likely) or 10 km away down a track that is undrivable (quite often). You never know – except the signs get worse and more illegible as you get closer. I did get some pleasure in Athens by asking a guy at the gate to the Ancient Forum where the Roman Temple was. He was most annoyed “There is no Roman Temple” “ Well I don’t know its nationality I said except I know it is not an Australian Temple” “You tourists you drive us crazy” he replies. We see the temple. On the way back I tell him I know where he was confused. “ I was not confused” he announces. “Well one of was” – I reply and explain that the Roman Forum is separate from the Ancient (Greek) forum and is two hundred yards down the road. ( I hope his ulcer heals quickly!).

Enough. Naxos is certainly an island to visit. It is larger, greener more mountainous and more scenic than most. Mikes Bikes immediately rented us a far better scooter than we had on Paros. (It was designed for me, Ruth P., You cannot start the engine with the stand down – in fact the engine cuts out as soon as you put it down ! ) In the afternoon we do over 100 km over the top half off the island. The roads were steep and windy with countless hair-pin bends . But Biker’s moll Muntz did not bat an eyelid (except to keep the wind out) – the scenery was quite stunning. High mountains, deep ravines, sea-views, villages perched precariously on steep hill-sides, churches and ruined castles on hilltops, etc. We saw an ancient (centuries old) carved marble statue ( or Kouros) about 7m long still in its original quarry site. No doubt the carvers had not thought about how they may get it out. We travelled down narrow paths, rough dirt and stoney tracks, over mountain passes, through ravines and B.M. Muntz never complained once. She even wanted to get up at 6 this morning for more of the same. She is a new woman. Naxos is certainly an island that you must get around by motorised vehicle.

Addendum by Kitty – I have to say that while I don’t like motor bikes in the city, they are a fantastic way to get around these islands. And Graeme is driving extremely safely – at walking pace around the hair pin bends. So I got over the clenched teeth and fear in about 10 minutes.

…. Then get into the Meditteranean.

…which is bloody cold. Todays ‘Letter from the Corinthians” is actually from the Greek Isle of Paros. The romantic isle where Homer was buried and where the marble from the Venus de Milo came from (or maybe this was Naxos – tomorrow’s isle or maybe even from other islands – it was hard reading the Lonely Planet over someone's shoulder on the boat trip over to here whilst trying to pretend I was watching the sea). Today was also the day we shifted gear from Kitty gear to Graeme gear. Kitty mode is somewhat like Homer Simpson’s father in the nursing home. She starts doing a Sudoku then falls asleep, after 3 hours she wakes up “Me hungry – me must eat”, we go pass a restaurant “Me eat here”. I tell her that 100 metres up the road you can eat outdoors with great views of the Acropolis, she replied “Me eat NOW”. We eat NOW. Then she falls asleep. I don’t know what you guys out there in client land did to her over the last 3 weeks but it worked like a lobotomy.

However Greece and the Isles really are like Seinfeld-land. There is not much to do in the isles so everyone does nothing. They just sit around all day and night and they talk and drink coffee. Kitty does not drink coffee and I am not allowed to talk so we sit around – she talks and I drink coffee. At least she seems to be recovering from her client-donated lobotomy.

So today in ‘Graeme mode’ we did a few things. Covered two separate islands from head to toe (Paros and Antiparos) – each about 20-30km long and similar width. Tripped around a couple of the main towns, went swimming (well Kitty decided it was too cold for her), went windsurfing (in about 30 knot winds ! … Paros to Paris in one day, almost). And, most unbelievably did it on a motorbike. Now many of you know Kitty’s loathing of motorbikes (at least for her family), but yes we got her on the back of a bike – all day ! To my surprise Kitty showed the same sort of confidence and trust in me as if she were being driven by a professional bike driver. Or, more specifically, as if she were being driven by Eivel Kneivel – over a ramp, across the top of twenty cares, through a flaming hoop, and back on a ramp 40 m. away.

The Greek islands are not much to look. They are pretty bare and dry (like Kangaroo Island). The beaches are usually pretty ordinary (more like Williamstown foreshore than Brighton). You see very few people – most of the towns seem deserted (The season starts next week I think. So basically it is we here who should be envious of you. You can sit on a real beach (Port Melbourne beach would earn millions per season and wipe out all the other islands if you could transport it here.), eat REAL souvlaki (with hommous and tabbouli – not mustard), eat PINK Taramasalata (not white), and have better fish than here (and not at 50 Euro a kilo). AND there are more Greeks in Melbourne than on the Greek Isles. Still I suppose you do see something here. The myriad of white stucco houses with blue windows. The little Greek ladies dressed in black and forever in prayer. The Greek Orthodox priests looking like Pavorotti in a Harry Potter movie. From our little white 40 euro a night huge apartment, right on the beach, looking to the sunset in the West (or maybe in the East – Kitty was a little confused) at the tiny, romantic (well it would be to the Lowens) village of Naoussa with it narrow winding streets. One could almost imagine that archetype Greek, Anthony Quinn, dancing down the street. But then again Quinn was a Mexican !!
Kitty says enough. (Don’t write that Graeme just finish. God, I’m going to edit this blog. I’m hungry. I want to go to dinner. You don’t even know when the bus leaves ……….quack, quack, quack). Time to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Athens - If you can't stand the heat then .............

Hi All
We made it to Athens despite plane problems in Dubai. Emirates was fine and can thoroughly recommend it (Kitty points out that although food and drink and movies and entertainment were unlimited - that she DID NOT GET HER SLEEPING MASK !!! looks like she will never travel with them again ! ) An incredible entertainment system. Some 800 movies, records, games, etc on demand (play when you want, stop when you want, rewind, etc) plus 2 channels of real-time video from cockpit out and from under plane - down.

Athens is hot and tiring (especially after a 27 hr trip). I have decidde to do a reverse Effie here and EVERYONE hates it. I call Syntagma square Sigmata Square. Kitty HATES me referring to the currency as dollars (instead of Euros) I tell her that if I think in terms of Euros everything is too expensive and I cant afford it. She tells me that she cant think in terms of dollars and that yes everything is too expensive and I cant afford it.

The acropolis was great but with MCG type crowds. When we got to the ticket box I announced "Acropolis NOW !" Hey Kitty has just got the pun - 6 hours later as I type. She hasnt quite got my comments in the museum on top which showed several horseman from the friezes. I told her they were the "Four horseman of the Acropolis - war, famine, death, and pestilence" as in the Bible (Revelations). Not being a kosher christian she is still thinking about that.

Anyway hopefully tomorrow we are off to Naxos, Paros and Santorini. But we are giving Lesbos a miss - sounds too Greek for me.

Training and Tribulations

Sue's sore knee continues to give problems, but only walking downhill. Will she have to walk all the downhill sections (about 7000m altogether) backwards? Only time will tell. Meanwhile shopping continues for necessities for the walk. Kitty and Graeme tested their new packs on a 14 k walk in the Brisbane Ranges, where Kitty discovered what a weakling she is. 7 Kg is definitely the maximum pack weight for her! She is now frantically trying to build up some upper body stremgth on the home gym - but only 4 weeks to departure now.