travelling allrite

Our last day in Paris! How could we not be a little sad? This is a special place. Though the sights are uncountable it is the experiences that make Paris what it is. We could easily spend a month here, doing very little, just soaking up the atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is not to be on this trip, so we had to make this last day special. I was originally planning a day trip out to Vitre, a medieval castle town in Brittany, but we couldn't stomach six hours in a train. So instead we decided to take Alex on a sightseeing tour of Paris. During our three previous trips here we have visited many of the popular tourist destinations. You might think Alex is too young to do the same, but he has books on Paris that he can relate to, most notably Masumi's Paris Hide and Seek where you have to find Theo and his dog Potchi in various locations around the city (thanks Nanna!). The previous night we had visited the Eiffel Tower and Alex had spotted the lifts going up and down. Of course he...

We looked outside our window this morning to see warm blue skies and a market set up underneath the railway tracks. While shopping for groceries at the supermarket the previous night had been a painful ordeal, the opportunity to mingle with the locals at the stall selling fresh produce, breads, meats, seafood and miscellaneous items was not to be missed. There were sea urchins and snails, bbq chickens and ducks, an amazing variety of apples and the nicest looking tomatoes that you've ever seen. Tiny strawberries and clementines with the leaves left attractively on top. We stopped at this stall and that, filling up our pantry though we only have a couple of days to eat it all. And it was only a few metres away from the apartment. Our menus du jour at the Bistrot Pierrot across the street were so much better than the day before's and we felt a little Parisian taking our time to savour them and watch the world unfold outside the window. Until Alex dropped his glass of water on ...

Alex has been talking about this day for months. He wanted so much to turn three so he can do "martial arts" at preschool with his slightly older friends. And he knew a bit about Paris thanks to some books brought back by his Nanna. He opened his presents, a complex Swiss wooden puzzle and a German board game, along with a magic writing board purchased at Hamley's in London. But what really captivated him was the musical birthday card from Sydney with a picture of a toilet and a flushing sound when openend. "Can we see that toilet?" he asked. I really should rename this trip "The toilets and lifts of Europe". As he got dressed he talked to his Bob the Builder jumper. So cute! For the first time on this trip we left our hotel to a sunny day, the sky crisscrossed by contrails. I had prebooked tickets to the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, quite far out from our hotel's location. They were still closed when we arrived, but we joined the ...

In Australia we commemorate the 11 of November with a minute's silence to remember those who have fallen in war. In Zurich the town centre is invaded by colourfully dressed brass bands playing loud music. But only because of the extra 11. It was 11-11-11 (well, 2011) and we were wandering through the old streets of central Zurich wondering why all these strange people with painted faces, zany costumes and a variety of musical instruments were gathering together. I knew it wasn't the time for the famous street festival. We had arrived into Zurich's main station on the overnight train from Prague. Alex had ended up sleeping with me on the top bunk after crying out in the night. As we ate our breakfast in another compartment I was a bit disappointed by the lack of mountain scenery. Instead there were rolling green hills and autumn forests. There was also plenty of evidence of Switzerland's industrial side. It's sad to see Australian industry steadily migrate oversea...

This was the trip that changed everything, the trip by which all future overseas journeys were measured. After a couple of horrible flights during my second overseas holiday to Malaysia in early 2000, I doubted whether I really wanted to travel overseas again. However, B was adamant that she wanted a honeymoon overseas and how could I deny my true love her dream wedding? We thought about Los Angeles, holiday packages to Disneyland were reasonably priced. But where was the romance in that? New Zealand was reasonably priced and reputedly beautiful, but it was so close! Surely we could visit it later. Where could be more romantic for a honeymoon than the city of love: Paris? We found an excellent deal with Qantas and, amidst the myriad other wedding preparations, booked it. Through Qantas Travel, their headquarters at the time just opposite my previous place of work, we arranged a hotel room, a tour to Mont St Michel and some museum and travel passes. Now we usually book everything ourse...