“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” Salvador Dalí The long weekend in Tossa de Mar passed all too quickly. At an early morning breakfast (8.30am by Spanish standards), we savoured the ritual delights of a buffet of croissants, a little bit of Spanish ham and […]
When showing our friends the extensive six week travel itinerary very neatly printed on one of Harry’s spreadsheets, with each day assigned a suggestion or five, we explained that we had left a four day gap open for exploring the Costa Brava. On seeing a potential opportunity to help us fill in the missing blanks, […]
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller On the Costa Brava between the Catalan city of Barcelona and the French border town of Cerbère, lies the medieval fishing village of Tossa de Mar. During the second most celebrated fiesta weekend throughout Spain, our trio is dragged into […]
Harry and I could not pass up the opportunity to stretch our toes over the Franco-Spanish border to set foot on the Catalan frontier of Northern Spain. How could we be this close to my mother’s homeland and not show Michael part of his family heritage? Ideally, we would have visited her birthplace in the […]
“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song.” Anon Sitting on the veranda listening to the natural music of the Australian bush, I ponder how to write a post about the sounds we heard in the ancient stones of France. I close […]
Languedoc-Roussillon We are delighted to have moved on, to a hired Renault chariot that carries Queen Bel, King Harry and Prince Mike to the decadent Château des Ducs de Joyeuse. Harry signs the arrival book, chatting nervously to the man at reception while scribbling on the dotted line granting a small fortune to be […]
“If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, “Thomas Aquinas Fourth day aboard the boat and the weather turns wet and cold. First mate and quartermaster are beginning to grumble under the gloomy conditions within the mildewy floating shoebox. It occurs to me that canal boating would really suit honeymooners […]
after our first hectic week in Paris, we stumble across the second oldest town in France, a township tucked away on the far south coast known as the Black Pearl of the Mediterranean. Founded by the Greeks in 580 BC, Agde is one of the best-kept secrets in countryside France – until now. On the […]
One of the most impressive experiences for our trio during our six week tour of France, was history at our fingertips (and under our toes) – especially mine. As we explored only a few of the ancient cathedrals, elaborate stone churches and Cathar castles, we had no idea how profound an experience it would be […]
Paris!! For our generous Parisian friends, Niquette & Didier, our gratitude for letting us take over the spare spaces in your cosy flat for sharing warm happy times… Let me shed some light on how a vision-impaired traveller uses every sensory fibre of her being to delight in the history and culture of another country. […]