Barcelona is a colourful and vibrant city in the Catalonian region of Spain. With only four days at our disposal, I chalked out an eventful schedule to soak in the delights of this city in a short time. We arrived in Barcelona during the week of the Merce Festival. It was a festive time as we discovered later. There was drumming and music while people formed human...
Our trip to Manila was planned at short notice, after we received an invitation from my brother who was temporarily stationed there. We had a stopover in Hong Kong and then a short flight to Manila. On arrival at the airport, I was impressed at how well their pick-up locations were divided into alphabetical sections. The throng of arrivals dispersed quickly instead...
Alaska had never been anywhere near the top of my travel destinations mainly because of its remote location. A close friend who is a travel consultant and cruise specialist convinced me otherwise and spoke highly of her own experience with cruising. The next thing was to twist my husband’s arm as he was averse to cruising (Titanic-phobia) and is prone to sea sickness...
One of the best ways to enjoy spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies is from the Rocky Mountaineer train. Calgary We arrived in Calgary, Alberta, a couple of days prior to the train departure. This city appeared to be in the midst of a mining boom and there was plenty of construction and expansion going on. It’s fairly small in size and easy to get around. Tram...
I’ve always been captivated by France and its history. Having studied French as an optional language at school increased my fascination. Paris was therefore high on our European itinerary and on our second day in that city, I was en route to the Versailles Palace. We queued in the courtyard outside the expansive limestone buildings with grey roofs. While we...
Melbourne is not the ideal place for a winter getaway for someone like me living in the sunshine state! However, the lure of a football game to see my favourite team was enough to warm the heart. If time permitted, I could even visit my Offspring#1 who had moved there! He was happy to show off his new home city. On our first morning, in...
The Kerala backwaters have been a well-kept secret for a long time but increasing tourist interest in recent years has resulted in it becoming a popular travel destination. Cochin We arrived in Cochin (Kochi) late at night. It was a long drive from the airport … 90 minutes to the hotel … only to discover we had left a carry-on bag at the airport! That’s...
Geneva was a planned stop on our train journey from Paris to Rome. Train travel in Europe is fast and fantastic as it only takes a short time to move between cities and countries. The TGV from Paris reached Geneva in just under 4 hours. I always wanted to visit this renowned city that lent its name to the Geneva Convention. It is a small and beautiful city in the...
My first overseas holiday was in Switzerland so it always has a special place in my heart. We alighted at Zurich and took the train to Lucerne (Luzern), just an hour south. Everything functions precisely … on Swiss time … from the moment you get off the plane, to the driverless train with the mooing cow. Travelling between neighbouring cities on the super fast...