Christmas to New Year

28th December 2009

We are in Mandurah, Western Australia, approx 1hrs drive South of Perth. Staying at the Sebel with a beautiful view of the estuary and Boardwalk.

Mandurah used to be rather tatty in years gone by, but like the Phoenix it has arisen and is now quite the place to holiday, with new Hotels, luxury apartments and a huge amount of work done on the foreshore to make it very liveable.

We have only just checked in but are very pleased with our accommodation.

The weather bureau predicted 40 degrees celsius for Perth today, but in Mandurah it is at least 5 degrees less, which makes life a little more comfortable, although one can always retreat tom the airconditioning!

OK, must go a glass of champagne (or sparkling Pinot Noir, methode champagne as it is known here) is calling me from the balcony!!

What's Happening Now?

Well, not much actually. Am back at work but Rose and I are planning a trip to New South Wales next March. It will only be short (1 week). Will be flying over and have rented a cottage on Dangar island on the Hawkesbury rivet north of Sydney, no cars on the island, boat access only, so should be really, really laid back.



(Have just received some goooood news, During peak holiday periods to get accommodation on Rottnest Island here in Perth (well a little offshore actually, not IN Perth!) you have to enter a ballot and we have been allocated a villa at Geordie Bay, fantastic. So off to Rotto next Easter!!.)





Later on in the next year (2010), will be travelling to France to meet up with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday, the farmhouse has been booked and now we only have to arrange everything else around it! Plans for a few days in Hong Kong, Paris and Turin, a week in Tuscany then home.



Have bought a new car, VW Golf 2.0TDIwith DSG, great car, heaps of torque (pulls like a tractor!!) and very, very economical, but certainly noiser than the Toyota Camry we had, and I guess we are doing our little bit for the planet? Would have liked the GTi, but hey, couldnt justify the cost.


We did do a trip locally in the new Golf (within Western Australia - that is a BIG local). travelled to Kalgoorlie then North thru Ora Banda, Menzies - with a side trip to Lake Ballard, then to Kykonie, Leonora, Gwalia and back thru Coolgardie to Perth with a side trip through Training? etc (sort of north of Merriden) which avoids the main highway and is much more interesting.

Have also just booked to go to Melbourne in May 2010.

So lots to start of with next year, and who knows what other trips may come up in the meantime (a river cruise between Moscow and St Petersburg would be good or Oslo to Bergen in winter by train would be another one)

Sept 2008 till Nov 2008

Well cannot believe it is 12 months since my last post!! Where did it go?.
Anyway will attempt to finish this trip with a readers digest version of events and places.

After Vienna we travelled to lake Como to a smallish town about 1hr by bus from Como called Mennagio, fabulous!!

Lake Como was very relaxing, breakfast in the apartment, morning coffee and croisants in the piazza, then hop a ferry or bus to somewhere, back for prosecco at 5 and passagate and then dinner, phew!

Mennagio is a great little place (well not so little really) went to a cooking class across the lake to Varrena, it was a perfect day for being inside and cooking and drinking (it was cold and rainy).

Another day caught the bus to Lugano (1hr) for lunch.

After Lake Como travelled by train to Cinque Terra and walked to Vannezza for the night. You need to be a mountain goat with iron man strength to get thru some of those sections, luckily there is also a train between the towns.

Of course we visited Milan and Genoa and spent some time in a little town called Agnana in Calabria, again by train. Gerace is a medievel hilltop town nearby with a cafe that sells fabulous Dolce and coffee.

Thats about it I think, we headed home via a few days in Rome, then thru Dubai again, availing ourselves of the facilities of the then very new Emirates terminal - very impressive. And so Home!! Three great months, and looking forward to the next trip.