Whiteout!

Last night we watched the snow fall & then it changed to rain - we were so disappointed! A few hours later the rain turned to snow & boy did it come down! Within a short time everywhere was covered and the snow ploughs were soon out. We were like little kids staring out the window to see how deep the snow was getting. For me it was such a reminder of some of the Christmas times back in England.

This morning the snow was still here and the cold was unbelievable when we stepped outside. The snow was about 5 + cm deep. It looked beautiful.

We went to Salem by train - about 30 minutes away. As most know Salem is ‘famous’ for witches and witch trials. We thought it might be interesting but it was all rather boring - hardly any place  was open & whenever we stepped  into a shop the smell was like going back in time to your granny’s house!

It was bitterly cold which sent us into the first place for warm food & drinks.
Thought I'd leave you a montage of pictures to keep you cool and chill you out!

Arrived Boston

We walked to Penn Station, basically around the corner from the hotel. Found the correct train and spent an interesting 4 hours travelling through the countryside to Boston. We were glad we’d paid the extra $20 to go business as the carriage was empty and the seats wide and comfortable.

 Leaving New York

The countryside was bare and brown& there were patches of snow from a few days ago but the views around the coastal/ estuary areas were very pretty.

We had a G & T and as I put the tray table down the ice and drink went everywhere - very similar to the plane trip from LA to NYC when we suddenly hit turbulence (no warning) I managed to save the G & T but had a glass of water all over me! Am getting used to drying myself out.

Taxi to the apartment we are staying in - all very pleasant up on 10th floor with a great view.

Apartment

Found our way to the supermarket for supplies. I always feel embarrassed when  you see supermarkets overseas compared to those at home - ours are inferior!

Cooked dinner, drank some wine & are now trying to work out washing machine!

29/12/12

Caught a cab to the harbour area of Boston where we jumped onto a tourist bus which travelled
around the city. It’s a lovely city and we enjoyed the tour, even though we didn’t have too much knowledge of the history of this area..

It was an extremely cold day so after the tour we wandered into a local pub for some warmth! I tried the 'New England Clam Chowder’ which was very tasty. Later we wandered around an interesting market before heading back to the apartment. We called into the supermarket to stock up on food as it was too cold to wander out for dinner. When we came out of the supermarket we walked into heavy snow! The weather men had predicted it but when do you ever believe them?

By the time we arrived home we were covered.

FREEZING!!

Day 2 New York

27/12/12
No snow today only rain! Day started with having to buy a new phone as mine died yesterday.

Headed down 10th Avenue, after breakfast at yesterday’s diner, towards Empire State Building. Stopped in at Kmart to buy umbrella because it was raining - needless to say as soon as brolly was purchased it stopped raining. Arrived Empire State, joined the crowds - not too many - and took the lifts to 86th floor! Venture out to take photos & have never been so cold in my life - could hardly work the camera! Luckily the view was clear and spectacular.

Walked from Empire State Building up 5th Avenue to Times Square. Checked out the shows but there wasn’t any thing we really wanted to see. Times Square very busy - they were setting up for NYE. Found a ‘hostelry’ for warming beverage and then headed off for the Rockefeller Centre.
Queued again for tickets and the entered the lifts - this one had a clear ceiling and you were watching yourself travel to the top of the building - not good if you have any qualms about lifts!!

The view was spectacular from the top and you had a good view of the Empire State Building. It was still freezing!!

Walked back to hotel - miles away from Rockefeller Building. We walked so far I think I’m a few centimetres shorter than yesterday.

Drinks at hotel bar and the up the block to a Steak House. Food was good and so was the wine. Wine needed to be because it was more expensive than the meal. The prices seem higher than expected.

Day in New York

26/12/12
Woke at about 10am after a rather decent sleep - wonder why?

Followed directions to a ‘diner’ for breakfast. Sat at the counter, as they do in the movies, for eggs and bacon.

Headed to the Hudson river to join a river cruise. Quite a long walk and it was so cold that I didn’t need botox on my forehead - the wrinkles were frozen out!! I didn’t realise how cold it was outside otherwise I would have taken my hat. Arrived at Battery Park for the walk up to the 9/11 Memorial. Found a hat seller outside & bought a balaclava (no not to stage a holdup but to keep warm!). As we walked I said to Valda “I think it’s snowing.” At first she said “No”& then came a “Yes it is.” We were then caught in the snow waiting in the lines to enter the 9/11 Memorial. 

It is 20 years since I was in New York & we saw the twin towers then but to stand there today and know how many people died was overwhelming and I found myself in tears. It’s a peaceful place but you ask yourself “How one human being can kill other human beings?”

We went into a local bar to partake in a warming beverage - no not coffee! before heading back to the ferry. The snow was getting heavier by the minute and also colder so when the ferry came we were glad to board. The ferry made a few stops but the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island were out because they had been badly damaged by Super Storm Sandy but the ferry did pause there for photos. We arrived back at the start of our trip & couldn’t get over the layer of snow now under foot. We thought about getting a taxi but that was an impossible task so we walked back to the hotel very carefully as the ground was so slippery. Having cross water laden roads didn’t help & my feet were soon in freezing water!

After arriving back at hotel to change into dry clothes & footwear we headed to the bar and then food.

Arrived New York

25/12/12
Started the day with ‘bubbles’ and present opening with Kerry. 

At the airport all formalities was very quick & easy and we were soon on the plane. Taking our seats one of the messages from the flight deck was “Thee American Government states that you are not to stand around in groups on this plane, especially around the toilet area.” Interesting! About to taxi out when the Captain states that because of storm activity in the area all the ground crew had to go into the airport buildings and we were staying where we were until they were given the all clear. We sat for over an hour, luckily we could watch movies. Finally we were off and taxied to the end of the runway when there was a strange sound and shuddering. The Captain comes on and says “You probably wondered what just happened. Well the runway is greasy and the nose wheel skidded. We now have to wait for an engineer to check it! Luckily all was well & we were finally on our way!.

Five movies, numerous tv programs and a couple of hours sleep later we arrived in Los Angeles to the American Christmas Day! We were now running very late & our 3 hour turn around was now down to about an hour. Our time was spent running through the airport, going through the formalities of right fingers, right thumb, left fingers,left thumb and eye photographs, checking your name, date of birth, where you were born, how long you were in USA, were you carrying alcohol or cigarettes - all very frustrating. Then we had to wait for our bags, collect them & run through the airport to the next point where our bags were hopefully loaded onto the New York flight. We then ran to the next terminal and got to the gate & walked onto the plane for New York.

Five hours later we touched down in New York. Amazingly the luggage arrived & it was into the yellow cab for the trip to the hotel. It was a rather ‘nippy’ 4C when we arrived. We went for a short walk & are now ready for a decent sleep.

Last days in Croatia

Life has been a little hectic & lack of wifi has meant no blog! We caught a ferry from Hvar to Korchula after battling up the gang way with a Japanese group! Korchula was much quieter & quainter. We had a tour around the island & did some wine tasting.

Another ferry took us to the mainland & from there a 2 hour bus trip to Dubrovnik. Visited the old walled city - very interesting. We then went on to a Montenegro - a small country next to Croatia. It was very interesting with a lot of history. Little narrow streets lead on to small plazas. Typically it was in the high 30C"s & when we went to sit down all the power in the town went off!!

Yesterday we went to Mostar, Bosnia, the early morning start was well worth the trip. Buildings still show the signs of the war - shrapnel and bomb holes everywhere. Very Turkish area too. The 44C temperature took it's toll but a few cold beers really helped!

Today we fly to Rome, tomorrow Dubai & then Friday night Sydney.

It's been a great trip & I have a few more stamps in my passport!

Dubrovnik

Montenegro

Hello Croatia

Sunday 1st July
Walked up the hill again, but earlier in the day, to visit the church containing the remains of St Clare. Another interesting church. Going back to the hotel stopped at the local deli, amazing array of goods. Bought a small bottle of truffle oil to take back for when I get excited about making something Italian!

Headed towards Rome but 3kms from Assisi we stopped at a church which had a small church inside it. The frescos were stunning & the little church was one that St Francis had used and was bought down from the hills & built again then the large church was built around it.

Caught flight to Split. We knew the plane was small when we were taken out to the runway on a bus! There she was a little propeller number. If my seat was any further back I would have been on the tail! We arrived on time so that was ok.

Had a mad drive - think the driver wanted to get back to watch Italy v Spain. We couldn’t be dropped right at our hotel because it’s in the old city & it’s a pedestrian area only. After a few false turns we finally found where we were staying. You notice the change in the weather not quite as hot as Italy but very humid.

Monday 2nd July

Spent morning on a walking tour of the old city. It was very interesting to see how the city once was although so much has gone now. We are right opposite the water & there are ferries leaving all the time. There was also a large cruise ship which meant a lot of people were doing the walking tours.

Had a wonderful lunch & watched the people go by in the main Piaza then off for a nanny nap - the heat & humidity take it out of you.

Tuesday 3rd July

Kerry arrived in Split & that afternoon we caught the ferry to Hvar - a one hour crossing. Picked up at the port and driven to the hotel. Beautiful spot with pools overlooking the sea. It’s very hot & I’m now covered in a heat rash.

Thursday 5th July

The last 2 days have been spent laying at the pool trying to stay in the shade. We went down to the sea - no beach just pebbles and difficult to get into. Kerry & I landed in the sea none too gracefully when trying to get in in flip flops! We have since bought bought funny little shoes to not only get us across the pebbles but because there are many sea urchins & if you step on one you are in trouble.

The sea is crystal clear in the morning & a bit mucky in the afternoon. It’s so saltly that you can just lay there & as we are in the Med there are no waves to contend with. 

We walked into the town for dinner & the harbour is a bustling place of boats - we are looking at millions of dollars bobbing around! Some are small yachts & others are massive motor cruisers!

Fish is on the menu everywhere & we finally gor our taste of sardines - delicious.

It’s very hot & I had to go to the chemist for cream for my rash - the chemist, female, told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to have my arms covered so I went straight out & bought a long sleeved top! 

Last days in Italy

Friday 29th June
An early morning start (7:30) saw us in Siena by 8am to see the Palio - a horse race but not in the modern sense. We had to reach the Piazza il Campo first & that was 5 long escalators from where we’d parked the car. It is a Sienese tradition & is where the different Contradas (local area of the city) fight for the honour of their area. Sounds complicated & it was for us to understand but basically there were 5 races around the Piazza ( earth is bought in to cover the cobblestones & 7 horses at a time race three times around. There were a number of spills as the jockeys were riding bareback. A few hours after the races - which are basically the trials - one person from each Contrada captain dresses in medieval costume to find out which horse their jockey will be riding. There are a few more trials before the main race in a few days time. It was terrific to be here to see quite a historic event.

We visited the Duomo and a church where the head and finger of Catherine of Siena was displayed - the rest of her remains appear to be in Rome! Altogether an interesting morning.

Saturday 30th June

We had to leave San Sano today & head to Assisi. The day started okay - I was in a car with Bill & Helen & driving on the right is just not their cup of tea. After white knuckles I was glad I’d taken my blood pressure tables especially when Bill started to drive the wrong way onto a freeway - even I yelled - then a truck came towards us but luckily we were able to get back onto the correct side of the road! I was so nervous I started calling Bill Bob - don’t know where that came from. These driving mishaps didn’t stop us from admiring the scenery - golden hay in rolled bales, seas of sunflowers, the green of the pencil pines& terracotta pots filled with red geraniums.

We arrived in Assisi in the early afternoon & braved the heat, 39C, to walk to the Basilica. It’s very beautiful with brilliant frescos & is on two levels. Went down to St Francis’s tomb.

A walk up the hill after our pre dinner drinks was rather taxing but worthwhile when we reached the restaurant. Thankfully our room had airconditioning.

Around Tuscany

Wednesday 27th June
Today we drove to Florence about 1:15 from San Sano (our village). Thank goodness for a Tom-tom as driving around Florence is quite a challenge. I wanted to head to the leather shop where I bought a jacket 8 years ago & amazingly soon found it. The owner, an Australian, was still there & was pretty impressed that I had returned & with friends! I did buy a jacket this time in a very unusual green colour. Not that I wanted back but she said they sell very few black ones now. I also came away another bag - I hate handbags, what am I doing? The leather is beautiful, so soft. I did get a good discount & the others came away with leather goods too.

We were also on a mission to find a particular sock shop to purchase special long golf socks (don’t ask) & after lots of walking we found them. By then we were in need of shade (it was 36C) & food & were eventually seated in the piazza beside the statue of David - not the real ones he was safely behind glass in the museum!

The afternoon was spent in cultural mood at the Petti Palace studying(?) the art works. I found the ceilings to be the most interesting _ hope I haven’t upset any art lovers!

After a refreshing swim we cooked our own dinner - a BBQ.

Thursday 28th June

A relaxing stay at home day with an hour or so in the cooler morning at the pool, a great alfresco lunch with different cheeses, salami & olives then a nanny nap. Out to dinner at a local restaurant.

Touring Tuscany

Monday 25th June
After about an hours drive through beautiful Tuscan countryside today was spent in hilltop towns. These towns were walled and were fortified to protect against the invaders from Siena & Florence (in the old days!) They were interesting places with alleyways and one even had the remains of a Roman amphitheatre - very impressive. Another had 14 towers - down from 60! Well you do need to watch for invaders when you are up high. We were about to walk into an old building when a priest walked out & we realised that it was a jail - needless to say we didn’t enter! We had a fabulous pizza before heading back down the winding alleys.

The weather was very hot again - 31C so when we got back to the villa we were straight in the pool and then across the road for dinner.

Tuesday 26th June
We drove to another walled city but this one was well know for wine. We thought we were close to the centre so didn’t take the bus but we found that it was a long way to the top of the hill, luckily there were plenty of shops to look in!!

Unfortunately there were a lot of leather shops but I did get a cute leather bag and it was good for pottery oil/vinegar containers. After an afternoon snooze we are waiting for the chef to cook our dinner. Yes you can pay for someone to do this - the smells are amazing!

Arrived Italy

Friday 22nd June
Caught the first train to Sydney after work and arrive at good old Formula1 at about 6:30. Dinner was on the agenda & the bright lights beckoned but when I realised it was Krispy Kreme, Macca’s & KFC’s bright lights I went to the ‘posh’ hotel over the road. An early night was needed & I’d been away with the Fairies for about an hour when I was awoken by the fire alarm! I tried to get dressed - hard when in an unfamiliar room even getting bra upside down -  when a voice came over saying “We think this is a false alarm. Stay in your rooms.” Some time later “ Sorry it was a false alarm!”

Saturday 23rd June
Managed to get up & dressed (clothes in correct order!) & arrived at airport at 3:45am.Unfortunately only place open at that time for a cuppa was Macca’s but hey you have to change your principles sometimes! Flight left on time at 6am and 14+ hours later we were arriving in Dubaii where it was a ‘mild’ 39C. All people connecting to Rome were gathered together & marched to the departure gate - it was far enough away to feel like we were walking to Rome! Another good flight & 6 hours later were arrived at Leonardo De Vinci International airport (sounds good doesn’t it!). Then caught airport express train to the centre. Hotel, not the best but it is right next to the station & I have a train to catch to Florence. One thing I’d forgotten about Italy was there bath towels - not like our fluffy - mine was, luckily, the size of a tablecloth & in fact would have been a good tablecloth. The towel are like thin tea towels - strange!

Sunday 24th June
Woke far to early but that’s jet lag! Arrived at railway station & got on wrong train but realised in time to get on the right train. It was one of the high speed ones & in little over an hour I was in Florence & the gang was there to meet me.

We wandered through the streets to the river passing various sights that I had seen before - the replica of David being one. Not many shops were open &  there were few tourists. The leather area was interesting - windows full of brightly coloured gloves, We will return in a few day to shop!

As we started to drive back to the villa we found that the temperature was 39C - slight change from 16C in Sydney! The villa is in amongst the vines - this is the Chianti region. a snooze & quick swim took us to dinner. There is a restaurant straight across the road - ten steps & you’re there - perfect!

Goodbye Chile

We are sitting waiting to go to the airport - flight goes in 6 hours & so begins the 18+ hours flight. Arrive home 7:30am Saturday.
Yesterday we went on a tour to one of the wine areas. It was great to be away from the city & we had a tour around a vineyard & tasted a  couple of the wines - nothing to write home about!
We had a very relaxing massage in the afternoon so are definitely winding down.

I hope that you have all enjoyed the blog so until the next time - Adios!

Chile

We have just had a scary moment - well Jodi & I did, Valda was in the bathroom - the whole place started to shake with the bed moving & I thought the mirror was going to fall off the wall we were probably enduring an earthquake tremor! We have decided to run for the bathroom if it happens again!
We had a tour through the city of Santiago - quite green with tree lined avenues & lots of parks. There are some interesting buildings & we actually saw the changing of the guard at the palace - not quite as impressive as  Buckingham Palace! There is a lot of smog which obscures the snowcapped mountains.
In the afternoon we went for a massage - very relaxing - & then off to dinner around the corner from the hotel - great food.
Tomorrow we are taking a half day tour to the vineyards.
This is so different from the last dusty town - you could imagine John Wayne walking down the street- but we did have one really crazy moment there when we walked passed the supermarket to see a guy in there with his 2 llamas!! They filled the shop & got everyone laughing as it's not too often you see that happening in a supermarket.

Now in Chile

After a 4 hour bus trip & 7 hour train trip (arrived 2:30 am) we started a 3 day trip through Bolivia to Chile. First stop the Salt flats - had an awesome time felt like a kid again you will understand from the photos!

We travelled through the desert unlike anything I've been in before. Driver was fabulous especially when I explained why I was nervous about travelling by jeep! Our days were on dirt roads - we could only go on the salt flats for a short time because of flooding - the scenery was unbelievable with mountains all around. one day we stopped to save a llama which was stuck in a bog. We did reach 5000m & the altitude tablets certainly helped. We had our passport stamped at the Bolivian border,tiny hut, then drove for 45 mins until we reached the Chilean border where we stood in the blazing sun for 2 hours before we got passport stamped! NOw in dusty desert town. 

La Paz

The Bolivians have some interesting traditions - there is a period in January when they buy miniature models of something they desire to own eg car & they go to the church to pray for this to happen, When they do get the eg car they cover it with flowers & take it back to the church to be blessed by the priest. There are numerous stalls which have miniatures for you to buy - see below

 Another belief is that if you wish for rain you go to the 'Witches Market" where the Sharma will prepare a basket of lollies, coca leaves & a foetus of a llama you were then expected to burn it, - it all looked pretty yucky!
Today we went to Tiahuanaco - a spiritual meeting place of the Tiahuanaca people who were around 20,000BC. Very interesting but poorly developed & when you consider that money has been put into it but a lot was filtered off into other pockets (if you get my meaning) & the site really hasn't been excavated.
The surrounding countryside is quite beautiful with snow capped mountains as the back drop.

We have just met with the guy who is organising the next part of our trip through the salt flats. As there has been a lot of rain some parts of the journey have had to be changed. We are on a night train tomorrow which sounds interesting - thank goodness we have some gin left!!
It sounds as if we will be out of contact for quite a few days & we are getting up to 5098m - we will certainly be out of breath but hopefully I will have some good tales & photos to show you then.

Hello from Bolivia

After a 2 hour car journey we arrived at the border with Bolivia. We stepped across a chain & then headed to a couple of different rooms to get our passport stamped. A short walk in 'no man's land'with our new guide & another passport stamp & we had officially arrived in Bolivia!

An hour later, having our own van, we arrived at Copocabana - no not the famous one! We boarded a boat - just the 3 of us & our guide & headed across to Isla del Sol ( Island of the Sun). After a traditional lunch we were back on the boat to the Isla de Lunar (Island of the Moon) where we clambered up a few stoney steps to an old temple.

Back on the boat & back to Isla de Sol where we were staying for a couple of nights. We started to climb the 205 (we found out later!) stairs and were soon huffing & puffing - the high altitude certainly still gets to you. We proceeded to walk for about another hour to reach our hotel & it was certainly worth it - spectacular views over Lake Titicaca.

Next morning we were woken by the rain!! We headed back down the track which now resembled a quagmire where the donkeys had walked but we were game & got back to the boat. We moved to the north end of the island & the sun was shining brightly when we arrived but once again we had an up hill walk & more staring at scenery to catch our breath! Lunch was down by a beach & I decided that I needed to drink a coke to help me feel better & boy did it work when I had to attempt those 205 stairs & the rest of the walk.

An early start today because we were heading to La Paz only it was pouring with rain! Our colourful ponchos were only so helpful & the water was really heavy. We were soon walking through mini rivers & yes our shoes & socks were soaked but we made it to the boat well ahead of the donkeys carrying our bags.I don't know what happened to my bag because it arrived with donkey poo on it ! Safely on the boat we reached Copacabana & met a new driver who drove us to La Paz - 3 hours. In places the traffic was terrible & we actually boarded a ferry - a few planks of wood - to cross Lake Titicaca

. La Paz is overwhelming - so many houses stuck on the side of hills. 

More travelling around to morrow

Lake Titicaca

Left Cusco yesterday on a 9 hour bus trip! Luckily the bus stopped numerous times to see different sights.

Arrived at Puno, on edge of Lake Titicaca about 5pm & were basically over the whole thing so a quick bite to eat & then a sleep!
This morning from the breakfast room we had a great view of the lake but it was another early start. Boarded a boat to visit the floating reed islands of the Uros people, little has changed since I was here 7 years ago. We learnt a few things and then were rowed to a different reed island in a reed boat.

Boarded the motor boat again to go to Tequele Island, where the men knit. This took us over 2 hours and then we had a 45 minute walk to lunch. Lunch was delicious & we had soup & trout. Then it was into the Cooperative to check out the hats & gloves - you are safe Kez I did not buy you Llama gloves!! A quick walk, because it was all down hill, & we were back on the boat & 3 hours back to Puno. It was pretty rough & we were told that they get 3 metre waves which can be surfed - who'd want to do that when the water temp is 9C?!

Tomorrow we move into Bolivia & more adventures!
We have noticed that high altitude & lack of oxygen have made us say strange things - Jodi has been calling llamas limas & we now feel that's their correct name. We couldn't get Cusco right & were calling it couscous.