While it’s a bucket list dream for many to see in the New Year on Sydney Harbour for one of the biggest NYE fireworks displays in the world, Venice was our choice of party city to celebrate the start of 2020. “Get down to Piazza San Marco early” warned Frederico our apartment owner “or you…
Tag: Travel
La Serenissima
I’ve already written about the way I feel about Venice from our last trip to La Serenissima (the most serene Venezia) in 2013. I’ve always trained in from Treviso in the past, but this time with New Year’s Eve and Cam’s 40th birthday set to fall across our Venice days, it seemed like a great…
Bella Venezia
I can still remember the emotions I felt when I walked down the steps of the train station in Venice towards the Grand Canal for the first time 20 years ago. I cried then, and on these, the 5th and 6th times descending the same stairs, I did again. It’s overwhelming. Venice is one of…
“We make savings fun and easy, whatever the amount…”
“Your dollar might go further in a Dollarmite Account”. When I was a kid singing along to that jingle, with Commonwealth Bank and advertising execs rubbing their hands with glee, I never knew that A/ it was a play on words, with the “Dolomites” being a mountain range in Northern Italy, or that B/ I’d…
Innsbruck
I’ll admit it. Before planning this trip, I could NOT have told you where Innsbruck was. I might have guessed it was coldish (they DID host the winter Olympics twice), but I might have popped the pin in at Switzerland, Sweden or The Netherlands. Wrong. It’s in Austria. And now that I’ve visited I feel…
Germany Day 1
We decided to lease a car for our trip via a scheme put together by the French government to get their back-log of new cars on the road. On paper, we’ve actually bought the car, and after 7 weeks, they buy it back from us. It all looked very professional and well put together, but…
In Transit
People-watching at airports is so much fun. You can feel the excitement in some, stress in others. There are tears from people missing their families, and kids filled with adrenaline and over-priced airport snacks. Our flights to Frankfurt were changed when Emirates and Qantas made a code-share hand-shake earlier this year. Instead of flying via…
Squinchy Pillow? Check!
Airport? We’re here! Bags are hopefully making their way onto our plane. Kids are hopefully aware they’ll be stuck in one spot for 14 hours (and that’s just the first leg), and other passengers are hopefully aware that I’ve just had oral (and not botched plastic) surgery. I’m still semi-puffed and am sure everyone is…
Practical Packing
My Mother (or was it Dolly magazine?) warned me not to follow fashion too closely. To instead “wear what suits you”, “what makes you look and feel great” and “girls just wanna have fun in gnarly styles that suit”. (OK, It MUST have been Dolly!) As I stare into my wardrobe, and its numerous black…
Travellers vs. Tourists
At a kids’ birthday party recently, I met a man that kept my attention for two hours (a feat for someone as easily distracted as me!). He kept my husband’s attention too. It was the sparkle in his eye as he told a story. It was his mental flicking-through moments filed lovingly in his memory….
The Token Traveller 