Room with a view

We were a little nervous about the hotel we had booked which was 4 kms outside of Menaggio. We found the bus OK and when we eventually found the hotel we were absolutley blown away. Perched high on the hill we had a view of lake Como and were out of the bustle (mainly of American tourists) of Menaggio. The hotel also had a panoramic terrace with great cheap pizza and birra. Bliss. So much so that we stayed an extra night. Spent two glorious days sitting on ferries going up to Colico (one day) and down to Como (the next) and eating pizza watching the sun paint everything golden. Perfect.


So, that brings us up to date. Yesterday we caught a bus, a ferry and two trains to get to Padua where we finally found a hotel and now we are stuck here for two nights because of a train strike. So today is admin day. We are not sure quite where next but perhaps Slovenia. Ciao for now.

(the view from our hotel)

Following the Rhone and walking in the Alps

After spending a week by the side of the Rhone in Avignon we drove up beside it to Lyon where we dropped the car off and stayed for a night before catching a train to Geneva. There we changed to another train which went alongside lake Geneva (beautiful) to Visp at the bottom of the Alps and then caught a tiny cog driven train up up up to Zermatt. We spent the next two days walking amidst the stunning alpine meadows with their amazing wildflowers including one 8 hour walk up (for three hours!) to the holbalmen which is a high meadow opposite the Matterhorn with the most spectacular panoramic views of the Swiss alps. It just about finished us off but was well and truly worth it!


us and the matterhorn!

Next day we caught the Glacier Express across Switzerland to St Moritz. A great train trip which follows the Rhone until it disappears into the Rhone Glacier and then follows the Rhine from its beginnings. Down from 1600m Zermat to Brig (300m) and then up to the 2200m Oberalp Pass and down to Chur (200m) and then up again to St Moritz at 1700m. The last bit from Chur was the most amazing because it is done without rack and pinion just using these amazing spiral tunnels which go like a rollercoaster through the mountains and over gorges.

St Moritz has a beautiful lake which we walked around twice before catching the Yellow Post Bus up and then down down down the most spectacular hairpin road into Italy and down to Lake Como and hopped off at Menaggio.

Avignon

From Cadaques it was farewell to Spain after three fantastic weeks. We schlepped up to Avignon via a night in Montpellier to meet up with Rosemary and Peter (G's Parents) for a week in a nice apartement in the old part of town. It was great to have our own space and to be able to cook for ourselves and do washing! (ah, its the little things...) The night we arrived it was the annual Avignon music festival which was crazy - the streets were rammed with people and bands and orchestras playing in the squares and churches and streets and cafés.

Highlights of the week included visits to the Popes palace, Villenueve des Avignon, and some of the stunning hill towns - Gordes, Rossillion, Vernaques and Les Beaux de Provence. We spent a lovely relaxing day swimming at Pont du Gard and also had a fantastic second anniversary dinner thanks to Mum and Dad!

Barcelona and Cadaques

Sorry for the long silence - we will plough through what we have been doing since Madrid.

We caught the fast train (oh why can't they do it in Australia or UK?) to Barcelona for a night and re-acquainted ourselves briefly with its stunning architecture and buzz. Would love to have spent more time here but we were craving some beach walking so we boarded a bus up the Costa Brava to beautiful Cadaques.

Cadaques is right up near the French boarder and is surrounded by very high hills over which the bus goes, skidding around hairpins. It is a small town curved around a bay of stunning blue water lapping a craggy rocky coastline over which we tromped that afternoon. Dali lived for 40 years in nearby Port Ligat and the rocks are reflective of his paintings - weird shaped outcrops and bald hills.

Next day we went for a long walk along the coast and found not one but two completely deserted beaches in June on the Costa Brava. Brilliant. Swam, hiked back, swam some more and arrived back in town for sunset cervezas. Bliss!!!

Madrid and Segovia

So, we arrived in Madrid late in the evening and then queued for over an hour to arrange our tickets to Barcelona. They really don´t get queuing in Spain. So, to make it fair in the stations they have a number system. Of course this only works if those serving pay attention to it and not the loudest and most persistent person in front of them. Anyway that and the heat in Cordoba just about finished us off. We found our hostal and flaked out in front of the football. Wandering around Madrid we were struck by its youth - much younger than roman Cordoba etc. Surprising that it is the capital. It feels like it would be a better place to live than to visit. We wandered all day on Saturday, found a market and bought provisions, found a nice park for lunch and then went to the Reine Sophia gallery in the evening and saw Guernica and assorted Dali´s, Miro´s and Picasso´s. Then out into the teeming streets to find tapas and cañas - tiny little beers. Madrid is packed on a Saturday night, especially Plaza Santa Ana which was just near our hostal, with everyone from locals to American tour groups and English bucks nights. Sunday we explored the beautiful old botanical gardens and then the lovely park just next to the Prado. Lazed around reading and people watching until the free session at the Prado where we were very impressed by the el Greco´s and lots else besides. They also had a really interesting exhibition on renaissance portraiture. Some excellent Tapas and cañas rounded off a very nice day indeed - especially the grilled asparagus.

Segovia, an hour and a bit on a bus from Madrid, is a stunning town. Mainly due to the most awe inspiring roman aqueduct running from the walls about a kilometer off out of town. Absolutely amazing engineering. The only down side was the rain. First day of bad weather we have had and did it rain. Turns out the arches of roman aqueducts provide insufficient shelter in heavy downpours. We got a bit wet. But not before we had explored the town and seen the astounding cathedral and the Alcazar which is a real sleeping beauty castle with witches hat turrets. We headed back early due to the rain, which followed us back to Madrid. More early morning high speed train adventures the next day - on to Barcelona.

Granada and Cordoba

From Ronda we caught the train to Granada and spent the best part of three lovely days wandering through its old and new towns. Although a bit shabbier and more gritty than both Seville and Ronda, it grew on us after a while with its lively shopping areas and its great funky little bars which didn´t open until 10pm and went on until the wee hours. Found a brilliant tiny middle eastern tapas place serving a bottle of wine or jug of cold cerveza with a load of tapas for about 12 euros. You can tell it is a student town! We thought a similar concept would work really well in Fitzroy or Carlton. Spent about 7 hours wandering all over the Alhambra and were suitably impressed, awed and exhausted by it by the end! Stunning intricate decoration and simple elegance which we loved about Seville´s Alcazar. Caught a ridiculously early train to Cordoba and watched the sun rise from behind the Sierra Nevada.

Cordoba was hot 38 degrees both days. We had to retreat to the cool of the Mezquita almost as soon as we arrived. It is possibly the highlight of Moorish Spain for us - its age and the simply beauty of its hundreds of arches stretching off into infinity were spellbinding. Pity about the ridiculously over the top baroque Cathedral plonked right in the middle of this gracious building. The continuing attitude of the Catholic Church to it has to be read in their propoganda brochure to be believed. Cordoba itself was amazing with its winding narrow lanes and cool tiled patios filled with flowers and greenery around which old houses (and our hostal) were built. You could feel the cool air coming out from them as you wandered around during the heat of the day.

Caught the new high speed train to Madrid which took an hour and a half. The new high speed trains here are great. More from Madrid...

Magnificent Ronda

Well we wandered and wondered at this truly astonishing town, perched high up on a rocky outcrop with old and new towns connected by two stunning bridges across a 120m deep gorge. It was an independent islamic state which held out almost to the end of the reconquister thanks to its impregnable walls of rock. We were staying in a lovely hostal near the old walls. Everywhere you walk in Ronda there are old (11th c) islamic buildings, mosques converted to churches and stunning views of the mountains surrounding it. We spent Sunday walking an 8k circuit through the beautiful countryside nearby with astonishing views of the town on its cliffs. The holm oak and nut pine woods and the fields were dotted with lovely wildflowers. We went past a chapel carved into a cave in a cliff and down into a gorge where two rivers met. Then up long hot dusty white roads through barley and wheat fields back to Ronda for well earned icecreams! We then enjoyed a picnic in the gardens watching the sunset over the mountains. Monday was a last wander and an attempt to sketch the Puente Nueva (c1780) and then pack and catch the train to Granada.