Venice, Italy Tuesday 29th May We woke in Bellagio on Tuesday morning to grey skies but at least no rain. We headed for the ferry to make the trip to Varenna where we were struck again by the spectacular views -villages nestled amongst lush green vegetation with rugged, limestone, snow caped mountains behind them. I… More

Bellagio, Italy Sun 27th Travel to Bellagio: Train from Nice to Milan (5 hrs). Train from Milan to Varenna (1hr). Ferry from Varenna to Bellagio (15 min). It was nice to have a day off where we could just relax and read and watch the beautiful scenery pass us by. We were all struck by… More

Nice, France Fri 25th May Our arrival into Nice last night was similar to that into Madrid; a stuff up. I will never pre-book airport transfers again. We arrived at 11.35pm on schedule into an airport that was surprisingly busy and filled with glamorous people due to the Monaco Grand Prix being staged next week.… More

Atlas Mountains, Morocco Wed 23rd It is 9.30am and I am back in my little atrium grabbing a few moments before the mule trek. Today we have been gifted with perfect weather; blue skies, plenty of sun and no wind. The view from my retreat is spectacular and I am hoping the photos will capture… More

Atlas Mountains, Morocco Tue 22nd www.kasbahdutoubkal.com I am writing this entry from a small atrium at one end of Kasbah du Toubkal, our accommodation in the High Atlas Mountains, the highest peak in northern Africa. There is a set of floor to ceiling sliding glass door leading from this atrium out onto a small deck,… More

Marrakech, Morocco Monday 21st May Hi all. Today is our last full day in Marrakech (spelling here is with a ‘c’ not ‘s’ for Marrakech). We have just been filling our days with walks around the souqs, visits to the various museums and palaces around the Medina (they are a bit short of the European… More

Marrakech, Morocco Friday 18th May Our first full day in Marrakech was interesting. Mark and I woke to the sunrise call to prayer, a haunting yet comforting sound that filled the Medina. The sun was scorching by breakfast at 8.30 up on the roof-top terrace so we realised we would have to spend at least… More

Marrakech, Morocco Thursday 17th May Marrakech airport is what I imagine Bankstown airport must be like, very, very basic. You disembark onto the tarmac, walk through a glass door, run to get an immigration form, complete and submit this, collect your bags and walk out to empty space. A dust storm had blown up that… More

Madrid, Spain Wed 16th We didn’t venture out until quite late this morning. Our first stop was the post office where we eventually communicated that we needed to priority post the Paris key back to the USA. After this we separated; Mark and Tom off to do boy things and Belle and I off to… More

Madrid, Spain Tue 15th Tuesday was a public holiday in Madrid in honour of their patron saint, San Isidro. The feast is marked by a full week of celebrations, concerts and fireworks in the streets, theatre, opera and parks. There are also daily bullfights as opposed to the regular weekly fights. Our day started out… More