Trevor & Sylvain On Tour

The Arctic Tour

2008-07-24T01:14:00.004+10:00

Our trip to the far north including Sweden, Norway, Iceland, a drive-through in the north of Finland and a pitstop in home-town Orleans, France.

There's a complete selection of photos now to match the commentary during our trip. An awesome trip, I hope you enjoy the blog.

The title image is the midnight sun in the far north of Norway.

HOME!

2008-07-08T02:56:00.003+10:00

We're back home and already back at work, Sigh.

It was a great trip and now that I have more computing power I've added some new photos to the posts below and will continue to add more - so keep a look out for these and more coming soon.

JULY 17th: SCROLL DOWN FOR RECENTLY ADDED PHOTOS - Currently working on Norway..

Paris - Singapore - Sydney

2008-07-05T20:53:00.003+10:00

The flight from Paris to Singapore was uneventful - we managed exit row seats for the whole way home - so I have been enjoying the leg room (and no crushed knees). I managed to watch a few movies and get a few hours of sleep. One of the movies was 'Paris' which is very appropriate and topical given that my last post (prior to this one) was in the same kind of mood as the film. Good timing I say. There is a pool here in Singapore airport - (thanks Jamie & welcome home yourself!) and we even have our gear for a swim but you can't do laps and we've decided to take it easy until we get home. I'm not sure I'll manage to sleep as much as I want on the next flight - but a welcome home swim then is sure to wake us up on our return. But at the uni pool??

See you all at home soon - and to all of you who have looked after us during our travels - thank you very much!

Au Revoir Paris

2008-07-05T05:42:00.003+10:00

I’m sitting in the airport in Paris – it’s a chaotic environment at the best of times, and today is no exception. There are kids playing soccer behind me at the gate lounge, our plane has been delayed 25 minutes, but I’m sitting here feeling particularly at peace for some reason. I’ve got the theme track to American Beauty playing on my ipod, which kind of takes me away from everything, like I’m an observer to everything happening around me but not actively a part of it. I often get this kind of feeling at the start of a trip when I’m on the plane as it cruises into the night, but today it’s a different thing.

The day has been one of saying goodbye to family, walking around various parts of Paris. Sitting at sidewalk cafes eating lunch or having coffee and watching the people go by. Paris certainly is a great place for people watching. I have been imagining all the different life stories of the people passing right by me, reading their expressions as they go about their day, even in the metro I was imagining the worlds of the people around me and how different they probably are from mine. We wandered through the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysees and examining the Euro10000+ bags I realised there is a whole world of people out there about whom I have no knowledge. There is so much out there in fact that I don’t know, that the amount I do know seems insignificant. But I think that’s what really makes the world an interesting place. It’s a whole lot of fun finding out the little bits at a time that I do. While I may feel a mile away from everyone here right now – I know I’m just the same as everyone here, yet there are small things that make us all very individual. And I like that too.

Vive La France

2008-07-04T09:40:00.007+10:00

Our first night in France I woke in the middle of the night to a big rain storm - a summery night, a breeze with the storm, I was in a room with huge ceilings, big shuttered windows and had absolutely no idea where I was! Was it Australia? Was it Sweden? (It certainly wasn't Iceland any more). Eventually it dawned on me that we were staying chez Baptiste & Fany in their new home (which is in fact an old and very grand home) in Jargeau. The house is great - Love it - and there is so much they can do with it too. We're looking forward to the changes they make as they make it their own, (it has 4 levels!!)

It may look small - but inside it's definitely not.

Baptiste, Marie-Françoise, Sacha & Sylvain in

Sacha's room! The perfect room for a child (or anyone really)

Here we've been catching up with family - eating loads of French delicacies, and occasionally swimming. Unlike the Icelanders, The French are TERRIIIIBLE with their lane etiquette. Firstly they don't use lanes most of the time, and this has resulted in at least one French woman being almost concussed by me at speed in the pool as she meandered out of a straight line. And a few near collisions with a man swimming with his glasses on, but obviously for no good reason. I could go on - but I will save that for another time.

The Goumand Estate... an escape from the everyday.

Our nephew Sacha has grown even more and today took his first few very tenuous steps on his own (I have photos! - Ed. see below) I expect independent walking within the week. I've been taking it easy back here in France - it's like home away from home, and I tend to do less photography and general traveling stuff.

Tomorrow we start our journey home. I'm normally looking forward to it by this time away - but I'd be quite happy to continue.

Last Day - Iceland

2008-07-01T10:36:00.003+10:00

Having been here for about a week now, it seems Iceland has one of the best swimming cultures in the world. And we know that I'm obsessed with swimming. The fact that there are 16 swimming pools in the Reykjavik area alone is certainly an indication of the keenness they have, the fact that they are open from 6.30am to 10.30pm stamps it in bold ink.

Could I live here?

I think I could cope with summer, despite it being fractionally too cold, and I could deal with winter with the hot outdoor pools, at least for a while... but the darkness would kill me I expect after a while.

We swam at the Blue Lagoon today followed by the same local pool from the start of our trip - we're staying in fact at the Blue Lagoon (see here) for our last night. It may be a bit touristy at the lagoon, but to be here after hours is great, and the sunset just now (ie midnight) was just divine. Yeah - you'll have to wait a bit for more photos, sorry. (ed. update: see some now below)

Early flight tomorrow so must head to bed.

Vik Iceland

2008-06-30T23:00:00.002+10:00

After a day on the road we’re now in Vik, in the south west of Iceland. The accommodation we’re staying in is called “A … guest house” and as is an option in a lot of places here we’re using our own sleeping bags but sleeping on their beds. 3 of us in the one room. It’s nothing flash, but we arrived at 9.30pm and then went straight out for dinner to the only place serving dinner this late in town. (Population 290 ) returning here just after seeing a midnight sunset.

We started the day with breakfast at the youth hostel we stayed in last night. Our cereal with fruit contrasted with a gourmet breakfast a couple there had cooked for themselves, but I felt like nothing more complex. We headed out and the fjords were surprisingly spectacular. Waterfalls galore, and quite a rugged landscape not softened by the trees Norway has in its fjords. The towns coloured with wooden houses, but some towns a little more industrial, yet never overpowering as there’s so few people in this part of the country to begin with.

Then we hit the glaciers. Turned a corner from one fjord into the next and there before us were 5, 6 maybe 7 glaciers glued onto the mountains and often spilling onto into lagoons at ocean level. The amount of ice up there is huge, unfathomable really, and when we got to the first lagoon filled with glacial debris – small icebergs floating around in various stages of melt, it was quite simply stunning. I was in my element photographing it all, though the overcast sky probably took some of the sparkle away. After that it was a desert of laval flows of the past forming a huge flat by the ocean criss-crossed by glacial streams.

We’ve been eating various local foods and while Sylvain hates the supermarkets at the best of times Dennis and I have been enjoying trying out new things. We’ve had quite a variety of salmon and herring and all things fishy and various chocolate / sweet things that aren’t exactly healthy choices, but then we’ve also been eating nuts and berries and yoghurts of all kinds, today’s specials were fresh blueberries and raspberry & peach ( I think) yoghurt. The yoghurt the other day with 6 grains… was actually quite nice – chewy but quite novel. It was also a little warmer today – up to 10degrees max. So no frost bite today.

Our last full day tomorrow, and Dennis’ last day. See what we can manage.

skogafoss

A handful of photos from Iceland

2008-06-29T12:09:00.004+10:00

A handful of photos finally to keep you up to date.

Here you see cascades coming directly out of the rock here in Iceland in this impressive display of nature's wonders.
This photo below was earlier today in the boiling mud pools in the north of Iceland. We got to a low of ZERO degrees, and despite the heat from these pools and steam vents it was FREEZING out there...
As you can see here below, where it is in fact snowing - middle of summer and all (yes this is me in my new raincoat keeping slightly warm, and also cleaning my shoes from a climb to the top of a crater)

Dennis warms up in a geothermal lagoon

All kinds of Water

2008-06-28T19:02:00.007+10:00

Geysir - an eruption begins

Godafoss

Gullfoss

We’re in the north of Iceland, in a place called Akureyri and when we arrived last night in the rain (it has been snowing at one point on our way here) we headed straight for the pool which was awesome. Probably 6 or 7 pools all up – but I didn’t see all the indoor ones. A chilly 3 degrees out it was between 28 and 43 degrees in the water depending on the pool. We managed to do some laps and take on the water slide, steam bath, huge heated water jets and some of the hot pots before checking in to our accommodation and then out to a degustation dinner at a place called Rub 23 – sensational, and leagues above the previous night’s $15 burger that I would have complained about if it was more than $3 in Australia.

The previous night we stayed in a place in the middle of nowhere – simple cabins where we slept in our own sleeping bags – and it was great, though there were no showers in the massive complex, which perplexed us a little. Certainly the glacial river running through it wasn’t going to be our bath was it? The daylight never ends up here and I had a jacket and some t-shirts hung over the windows there to exclude some light for a less interrupted sleep. We’d traversed a 60km stretch of dirt road on our way there in our 2wd (our 4wd packed it twice in back in Reykjavik and we elected to bar it from our trip – taking the Mazda 6 wagon instead – not so good on dirt roads though). The moonscape on this overland trek was speckled with life and topped with glaciers. Spectacular even if Sylvain was swearing at the road every 100m. We’d come from being drenched in the mist from Gullfoss – a mammoth waterfall, and almost drenched by an enormous Geyser, which would have been quite a bit hotter! Spectacular all around.

Today they predict rain (click here for our Iceland weather forecast) , but there's already some sun shining through, so hopefully they'll be wrong again.

Chilled out in Iceland

2008-06-26T18:47:00.005+10:00

It's sunny and warm (ie 15 degrees at times - but in the sun that feels like 24) and since arriving I've felt very at home here. Reykjavik is a great city - very interesting in terms of colour, architecture, surrounds and the people. It's just teaming with swimming pools and their 'hot pots' which are very social gathering places and last night we spent time in the late late sun swimming and doing what the Icelandics do - spend time soaking in the hot pools and steam baths and the like. The hot pots are heated pools kinda like big spa baths and in the place we went to yesterday they had 38, 40 and 44C pools you could meander between - I could live here - quite seriously (in the summer at least). The pools are open all year with geothermally heated water and there is so much water and geothermal energy that, coming from water deprived and Carbon rich Australia, we feel decadent in it all.

It isn't as expensive as I was lead to believe (thankfully) we ate out at a restaurant last night and it didn't blow the budget. I think though that this may have more to do with the powerful Aussie dollar at the moment though, so we've VERY happy about that, and the meal was great too. So far so good. Our friend Dennis arrived from London around midnight last night (the sun was hovering just below the horizon, the sky blue), and we've all recharged now ready to go exploring this so far fantastic place! Well actually I'm still waiting for everyone to come for breakfast, so that's why I've had time to post here.

I'm very excited about being here. It's even better than I expected.

Back to Sweden

2008-06-26T18:36:00.004+10:00

We spent a few days back in Sweden catching up with our good friends Marcus & Helene and their now three kids Vega, Isak and the brand new (but already HUGE) Finn. We spent time in their family summer cabin on the coast south of Goteborg and exploring the region together. Our newly named mascot E6 was handed back to the Swedes after the sad loss of B71 (photos that will ultimately follow will explain this to those not in the loop here) . A great time as always and then we left for Iceland having breakfast with Anders & Joanna, also of Gothenburg, on the way to the airport.

Isak & Vega

Isak, Marcus, Finn & Helene

Vega and the chocolate cake

The newly Christened E6

West Coast Sweden

E6 Handover with the Team

Breakfast with Joanna and Anders

G´day from Norway

2008-06-23T18:27:00.007+10:00

Greetings from Oslo!

The sun has just come out as I type! It has been a day of rain after arriving in Oslo late late on Saturday night. (ie more early Sunday than late Saturday). We´re staying with friends Kari & Ove and their family though they had to be away the weekend for a wedding in the far north (where we just came from). Typing from the mac in their kitchen. The house is stunning, a very modern scandinavian look.

Despite the rain we explored the city, and for me it was revisiting old memories of when I studied here in the past, which was really great, but also exploring some places new. The architecture has grown in the past decade and we got to see the stunning new Oslo Opera House. It´s so new they don´t even have finished pictures on their website, but I have some of those, so watch out for more soon... but it is stunning - I love it. A lot of white and right on the water it looks like it´s floating there. They´re comparing it with the Sydney Opera House, and I can see why - though the actual look is completely different.

The days in the North of Norway have been fantastic - we covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. There are thundering waterfalls coming out of your ears! I think we both exclaimed "wow look at that waterfall!" seriously more than 100 times. And they´re not just trickles they´re like massive rivers flowing down the mountains. Od course the midnight sun was spectacular - but what´s most brilliant is that the Norwegians still go to bed at kinda normal times which means we had the whole landscape to ourselves in the sunlight. Brilliant and eery all at once.

Ove & Kari up late

Kari & Ove have kept us well despite it being for such a short time. We stayed up very late last night (until Ove was falling off his chair) catching up and it really would be nice to stay longer. But today we´re headed back to Sweden and to catch up with our friends Marcus & Helene and their kids there and hopefully also Anders & Joanna and family before we fly off to Iceland.

Missing still are my photos, and I do apologise, but bear with me - hopefully I´ll get a chance to sort the technology out soon. Just not today. Sweden is waiting.

Our first intersection on arriving in Norway, North Cape or Tromso...?

Camping out under the midnight SUN

We hiked up along a beautiful creek /waterfall and found this...a secret lake.

A touch of Finland

2008-06-21T10:37:00.005+10:00

There was a spot of Finland on our way - it was reasonably late and everything was pretty much deserted despite being completely daylight. No towns to speak of either so I'll just ultimately have a few ethereal photos to post here - but otherwise it was a little more hilly and quite pretty leading into Norway.

a baby reindeer

From Stockholm to Northern Sweden

2008-06-21T10:05:00.005+10:00

I left you a long time ago in Stockholm...

There's been a lot of km traveled since then, but before we left we did manage to get to the Vasa museum, which contains the remains of the ship raised from the deep after centuries of nothingness down there, as well as exploring some of the designer stores and ultimately finding our way back to the swimming pool in that great city for a last swim before heading out into the wilderness of the arctic north. Highly recommended, and not just the pool. Driving out of the city we both felt a bit sad - in a short time we'd met some great people and it felt like we could have spent a whole lot more time in Stockholm alone. Who would have thought!?

Both from Gamla Stan - Stockholm

The trip north was punctuated by a lot of lakes! We camped beside one on the way. The theme for this journey was lush green, copious blue and a lot of small towns with occasional largish ones. It was fun to explore but it was quite flat really and we were hanging for the mountains of Norway. The people were fun though - and we did manage a swim in a remote university pool on the way... as you do.

My photo editor is on the blink, so can't show you any yet unfortunately... hopefully that will be rectified soon.

Absolut Stockholm

2008-06-16T09:01:00.008+10:00

Stockholm welcomed us with a huge rainstorm. The Saab we thought we'd booked became a Toyota Avensis - which didn't quite fit the Scandinavian trip we were planning - but it works and will do the job well I expect, though all it's done has been taking us into Stockholm where it's been parked as we travel with other means.

Checked into level 10 of our hotel which has been fantastic - The Hotel Clarion Sign. Of course we haven't done a lot more than eat and sleep here, but central and funky and great views! (and good beds!) Headed for a swim in a 50m outdoor pool (about AU$11) where I got rid of my jetlag (Sylvain's swim gear was left in our hotel - so he missed out unfortunately) - I want to go back!

Our Stockholm hosts have been Mats & Robert who have been keeping us going non stop the past 2 days. (Yes the rain cleared and the sun came out.) So much achieved in such a short time... a party, a picnic, a boat trip and so much more; I feel right at home. Not sure I want to leave Stockholm - but tomorrow (Monday) we do - heading northwards...

Mats

Robert

Lars & Klaus above took us for cruise on the waterways of Stockholm. A fantastic outing and very generous & warm guys. Thanks again!!!

Mats, Alvin, Sylvain, Trevor, Robert, Lars, Klaus & the Swan.

I'm out of time to write though (ie I need to sleep) - so you'll have to wait for the next installment for more. And there is a whole lot more.

Waiting in Copenhagen

2008-06-14T18:25:00.004+10:00

We made it to the plane on time - quite a feat given we both worked non-stop right up until leaving for the airport. Flying with Singapore we tried out the new A380 monster jet.
First impressions:
Quiet
BIG
Smooth
I don't have to duck!
Great big screens and so much entertainment we could have watched movies, TV shows and listened to new music for weeks here alone. (we both managed 3 movies) The food wasn't too bad either - and plenty of it. Why am I always hungry on the plane? Maybe it's because I hadn't eaten all day before leaving.
We managed to secure exit row seats too - which is heaven for my legs.

We arrived at the new Singapore terminal 3 - it feels like an upmarket shopping centre - nice. We met up with an acquaintance from Sydney who was on our same flight (jealous of our seats) but that was very cool. If you're reading this Matt in London - you know who it was...

And now after the longer leg in a slightly older plane we arrived reasonably well rested in Copenhagen - now awaiting a connecting flight to Stockholm. But the waiting here ain't so bad. Sunny day outside and inside, for those who appreciate the Scandinavian look in their men - this is what you'd call heaven (for those who prefer this look in women - ditto - but I can't go into detail for you...).

Unusually for us we're already overweight in luggage allowances (our camping gear hasn't helped) so we're gonna find it hard to not buy some of the great design we've already window shopped here at the airport.

I know I'm not in Sydney any more, but I'm not quite feeling like I'm on holiday just yet.

New Tour Starts June 13th

2008-06-12T13:51:00.001+10:00

First Stop : Stockholm, Sweden

stay tuned for details.

Hobart 2

2008-04-28T00:42:00.001+10:00

Day 2 and The Frenchman and I have eaten enough last night to make breakfast obsolete. We head to Salamanca Markets, because that's what you do in Hobart on Saturdays, and the only thing we buy is food including this particular slice of heaven (below) which becomes the entree for the breakfast I wasn't going to have... (I choose the blueberry version)

There's more too, like a local specialty: Scallop Pie, we'll call that main and is very good. Dessert is a dutch delicacy and I buy more but that's enough for now or I'll start to feel fat. Again.

We then head to Bruny Island, because again, that's what you do. And we head to the far south of it, terrorising every driver on the road as we go, (including our own) . Of course at the end, there's a lighthouse - and doesn't every lighthouse have a story of hardship... so I don't read most of the historical depiction of it but instead go take photos of the island just south of it, because it's quite spectacular and the rock formations are great. But I don't like the photos as much as the reality - so you won't be seeing more of them.

After terrorising the remaining drivers on the island and taking in the sights (as seen below with the Frenchman) we drive onto the car ferry that we all independently think "I don't want this ferry to be the way I die". And thankfully it's not. A quick, much needed swim in the Hobart Aquatic centre is punctuated in the open showers with a man who is obviously happy to see me, but I decline more Tasmanian forestry and we head back to the hotel for a run around the locale and then head out to dinner.

SMOLT is the venue tonight and smouldering Lynnette the guest diner, (who is grilled to well done by Sean, the vegetarian). It's good, we share 5 desserts between us and roll onto the footpath to stroll the square, window shopping the galleries then drive to the top of Mount Wellington - where we get out into a freezing gale that wakes us well and truly up (it's nearing midnight now). We rush to the edge, peer to the sparkling city below and rush back to the car to thaw.

Sunday takes us to the deep south to explore the forest, countryside and autumnal leaves. I'm feeling a little blue, but nothing like a bit of rain, suspended canopy walks and swinging suspension bridges to make you feel alive... (see photo at the top of this post). Sean tries to kill us on everything we get into or on and the suspension bridges are still vibrating violently, but despite his efforts, we make it home, safe and sound.

Hobart 1

2008-04-26T00:40:00.000+10:00

So after a precisely tuned departure from work, a picking up of The Frenchman, and a negotiation of ANZAC day traffic (mostly headed to local watering holes in my observation) we get to the airport with way more time on our hands than normal so have a reasonably gourmet breakfast on the ground rather than a less so one in the air. In fact it is remarkably good. I might even head to the airport just for it one day, maybe.

Virgin spits us out with some quip in Hobart and the freezing day we expected has simmered into a reasonably warm one. We are picked up by the gorgeous Sean, and head to Port Arthur exploring along the way. The cafe we've been hanging out for since 1995 when we first discovered it is still operating - Eaglehawk Neck Cafe - but as we arrive we find it's closed for ANZAC day - bloody hell - all this way (and time!) and lunch plans are demolished - but by now it's after 2pm and the list of options is rapidly narrowing. The last time we ate at Port Arthur was shortly before the massacre happened there and that cafe is now a memorial... So we eat generic food elsewhere, then wander around and I actually like it here a lot more this time than last.

The sandstone on the decaying buildings has none of the wear of those in Sydney - it looks like it's been freshly quarried and at times I wonder if it has, must be something to do with the pristine air they talk about down here - though today it's a smoke haze with forest back burning that seems to have been very poorly planned in recent days, and we're coughing and my eyes are a bit sore, but I'm away for the long weekend so I'm still happy.

We head back to civilisation and our accommodation at The Islington Hotel in Hobart is it. We're greeted by Kelly who is at once warm, engaging and beautiful, and we feel at home right away. The rooms are sensational, and ours subtly has the seal of the hotel's owners in a painting of two naked men sitting together (though you have to look twice to see that that's in fact what you're looking at.) I've been up since 6.15am and I collapse into the huge bath for an eternity before heading out to dinner. Marque IV is the place - and the food is sublime. My main is 3 variations of Salmon and I can still taste them all (in a good way). More please!

Capetown

2008-02-06T01:24:00.000+11:00

Capetown really is quite a stunning place. And we spent the last moments of 2007 there, welcoming in 2008 on a warm summer evening under the stars with David & Dennis.

On Safari - Kruger National Park

2008-01-15T01:47:00.000+11:00

Our home for three nights - Honeyguide's Khoka Moya Camp.

Giraffes are always great to stumble across. Tall, and graceful with colouring that makes them stand out (not good for avoiding predators).

Philip, our tracker (left) and Lyton, our guide and driver(centre), prepare 'sundowner' drinks as we watch the spectacular sunset. You can see the colour of the light here. Not only very capable and engaging, they were great guys and made our visit to the game reserve adacent Kruger National Park such a great one.

We were lucky to see Rhino's on at least three occasions - I believe it's pretty rare to see them at all.

We (or more to the point Philip) tracked this Leopard for some time before we finally sighted it. Definitely worth the wait.

These are the remaining vultures tucking into an unfortunate buffalo. There were more than three times as many as we approached - but they didn't hang around.

Lyton shares lunch with us - as he did with all the meals here - in the outdoor dining room. The food was quite gourmet, and plentiful.

Scrabble was out mid morning game, followed by soccer, a swim and then lunch before the afternoon safari. Life's tough...

The first photos are in

2008-01-11T01:16:00.000+11:00

The Zebra was very patient with me photographing it - and I'd been very keen to get up close and personal with one for a while. I still love their patterns, each unique.
It's the A Team, from left to right Me, Dennis, SYlvain & David. This is durign sundowner drinks in a meadow in Kruger National Park. We were actually watching sunset - hence the orange hue to the photo.
If you're gonna stay in a tent, THIS is the tent to stay in. We walked in and felt right at home. The bathroom was almost as big as the room you see here. Decadence in Canvas.
A pair of cavorting baby elephants entertained us for quite some time. They were like young teenagers in love.

More photos to come.

Knysna Decadence

2008-01-04T10:12:00.000+11:00

Tired of wearing mud and changing tyres in godforsaken backwaters, we take to the luxurious side of life. Knysna (pronounced nize-na) is the town at the centre of our oppulence and after a day of extremely shitty weather (sea-side towns are not the best in fog and rain) we land upon the oasis that is The Alexander. As we approach, the coastline plunges beneath us to a rocky headland complete with crashing waves and storming rain. We're upgraded to the Captain's suite, which seems a prerequisite given the weather, and we navigate through it's decadence with ease, and more than a few laughs. The hosts here are a very cool gay couple - not that we knew this when we booked, but we're instantly at home and we forget our plans of exploring in the afternoon, opting to shelter in this haven until dinner which Martin has booked for us at Lush, appropriately named and certainly keeping the decadent theme we've established for the evening. A cute waitperson serves us a stunning dinner and it is quickly established that the food in South Africa is sensatiolicious, unbelievably inexpensive and the chocolate desserts are uniformly the best I've had ever - and there is some stiff competition there. The SA wines have been popular with the Frenchman and I drive home with our brand new Pirelli tyre and watch a surprisingly good movie, appropriately titled Head in the Clouds, in the lap of luxury.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Travel Hiccups

2008-01-04T04:13:00.000+11:00

So we're driving from Capetown to 'The Garden Route' where there have been floods in the region a week or so ago. The road is closed but the helpful roads authority guy there tells us there's a really long detour on tarred roads, or a shorter one on dirt road that's quite good - and a lot shorter. So we do the short detour and for the first 30km it's great and we manage 80km/hr or so but then the good road disappears and a crapulent one appears out of nowhere. It seems doable, but after the second river crossing we wonder what the story is - of course that's also when we realise we have a flat tyre. Middle of nowhere in Africa, small, front wheel drive car, flat tyre. Thank god the rental company have a REAL tyre as a spare and we're up and running again in no time - but a 4WD owner coming the other way warns we're about half way, and the road doesn't get any better... Damned either direction... So we travel onward with extreme caution, especially when we discover the two German girls who passed us earlier with their stalled golf on the next river crossing; some other drivers are already helping restart them. Finally we all get going again , traverse the crossing and manage to make it to the good road. The Frenchman is stressed but I'm enjoying the problem solving and the knowledge that this is something we'll remember long after the beautiful landscapes have faded from memory.

South Africa

2008-01-04T01:16:00.000+11:00

Okay so we're beginning a little late. It's now our second week in South Africa, but Internet access has been limited til now - and when we've had it - we've been too busy anyway. So I've had a chance to write a little so I'm starting from now and working back when I get a chance... So watch this space. Pics are limited as I've not been able to edited them down in size yet...

Extra Photos from France - last days

2007-07-22T03:36:00.000+10:00

The Above 4 photos are taken in the Tarn Valley (Gorge Du Tarn) - one of our favourite destinations in France - a narrow gorge with spectacular towns along it. The water is green and swimable and awesome.

The Millau Bridge - not far form the Tarn Valley - Southern France - a new engineering marvel.

Carcassonne - It's like a fairy tale city.

Home!!

2007-07-16T01:22:00.002+10:00

We're home. Arrived to a chilly Sydney evening - but the travel was uneventful, apart from some hastily averted issues with containers with more than 100ml onboard... Here is the first plane - the Boeing 777 - you can see the HUGE screens which were fanstastic for watching movies - and we watched loads... more space too - although the business class seats up front were HUGE and I believe 58cm lcd screens in First class. I'm too tall though - fitting in is not my thing with these planes - at least not in economy class...

Will have a few more photos of our last few days' travel to add here yet - so stay tuned...

Pyrenees - Ordessa Valley and more

2007-07-12T09:42:00.000+10:00

The Tour de France comes through here soon...

Isak & Vega each had one of these... their mascots for the trip...

We took a road less traveled for a shorter way to our next destination and discovered this above - truly sensational - we were laughing so hard just unable to believe something so spectacular could be so unexpected!!

Loads of choices... where to go...???

Team Ordessa, Left to Right: Marcus Isak Helene Vega Sylvain & Trevor

I Google Earthed the Ordessa Valley - just flew over it virtually - that's how we decided to head here - and how spectacular it has proved to be!!

Les Pyrenees...

2007-07-10T09:11:00.000+10:00

The view from our hotel this evening in Vielha. A far cry from yesterday where we had views over the motorway...

Valley views - breathtaking!

Marcus (with Helene and the kids inside the car) in convoy with us in the Pyrenees. We met them in Andorra in the morning - which was a challenge as our mobile phones didn't work there and we couldn't find out if they were there yet or not having approached from different directions - we happened to see them walking down the street as we arrived - perfect and in such a big place very VERY lucky.

Chez Goumands

2007-07-09T10:28:00.000+10:00

We have spent the past week with Sylvain's family in St Martin - near Orleans in France and here are a few photos. You've seen the newly born Sacha earlier too but I have a new one of him above too that I have done some special effects on... Below is lunch yesterday at home, Marie-Francoise you have done some fantastic catering!!! YUM! There are some ponds you can't see here, and today I tried my hand at drawing them... or at least a part of them. I need more practice...

Paris 3

2007-07-07T11:35:00.000+10:00

Here's a stroll through Paris - Night and Day and various locations and aspects. This is the third of a series of posts. We walked and walked and took a lot of metro's and walked and ate... The weather was hot then cold then rainy then warm then cloudy then rainy... The people in the photo directly below all disappeared in an instant when a rainstorm hit just a few minutes after this photo. We had fun though. Loads to explore.

Paris 2

2007-07-07T11:06:00.000+10:00

Looking down the Champs Elysees from the Arch de Triumph...

You can tell it's a fake smile - because he hasn't had his coffee yet... This is Breakfast.

Which Tart will it be today? Hmmmm...

Paris 1

2007-07-07T07:28:00.000+10:00

We escaped to Paris for 2 days. It's great fun to explore - and a LOT of walking to be done - even if you do use the metro liberally... We sat down to dinner at 10pm (we were busy exploring all day!) and the people on BOTH sides of us lit up their cigarettes - so we got up and left in search of somewhere free of smoke in which to eat... (and that was a BIG challenge). I'm an avid non smoker and find it incredible this smoking habit... Oh and when we did eventually find somewhere - I paid around $12 (8.5 euro) for a large serve of soft drink - this town certainly does know how to charge!

Introducing Sacha

2007-07-05T02:08:00.000+10:00

He's the brand new addition to the Goumand family - (although I don't yet have his parents photographed with him here) Sylvain's brother Baptiste and Partner Fany have had a baby boy Sacha, born just before we left for Europe. He's cute, VERY cute, and is a lot of fun although still under 2 weeks old. The whole family is mesmerised by him. You can see Sylvain and MarieFrancoise (grandma!) here in the photos with him.

More Croatia

2007-07-04T10:45:00.000+10:00

Sylvain the Suave.

Our Hotel in Dubrovnic Hotel Bellevue - just sensational and some of the crowd from the boat enjoying drinks on the balcony...

On deck - Sylvain with fellow passengers Colin and Greg dressed for the occasion.

Sean and Philip - our hosts.

Tim joins us for drinks at a hole-in-the wall cafe bar in Dubrovnic seen in both pictures above. Truly Sensational. (and you really do need to go through a tiny unmarked door in the huge wall to get to it). Live Jazz started at midnight.

Croatia continues...

2007-07-03T08:18:00.000+10:00

I'm a little behind posting photos for various reasons, so while right now we're in France I'm continuing with photos from Croatia, because there's too much to see!! Hopefully in the next few days you'll see loads more, so keep tuned... I've also added a few more from Split... which was where we started... The cruise has been sensational. I have been painting various artworks, eating much more than I need, swimming ALL the time - which is my idea of a holiday as you would all know!!! As well as exploring loads of historic towns and beautiful islands. The group on board - an amalgam of multiple generations - has been a delight.

Remember - all these photos can be seen in larger format by clicking on them which links to the larger sized image.

Sylvain makes a splash - in fact it looks like he's blasting out of the water!! Jumping from the top of the ship has been popular right through the cruise - and the weather has been very encouraging to get into the water.

Here a crab surveys the nightlife - as lit up by a luxury cruiser with underwater lighting in Hvar; truly decadent...

The streets of Hvar are a delight to explore - unexpected finds and beautiful aspects..

Night time in Hvar - it was very late, but a very kind man at the only internet cafe was staying up for me downloading software for these pictures - if it weren't for him there'd still be nothing on this blog. He called me at around 2am when it was ready - the town was still buzzing (his cafe shut at 10pm) he even gave me some local food and offered beer, which he was well stocked with...

The Diocletian Palace in Split. We has a guided tour - quite a history here!! This is in the basement, which is the only part untouched by the centuries of modifications above it.

The Bell Tower also in the Diocletian Palace, Split.

More of Cruising the Adriatic

2007-06-30T10:11:00.000+10:00

Home for the week.

One of many cool bars and locations to eat, drink and chill out under the stars.

Found this one exploring the foreshore - spectacular.

This one's not actually Hvar, but Split from the boat- oops.

Hvar

2007-06-25T03:59:00.000+10:00

Split

2007-06-25T03:54:00.000+10:00

the flights...

2007-06-25T03:53:00.000+10:00

Made it to Split - Croatia

2007-06-22T23:58:00.000+10:00

It was 40 degrees when we arrived but has cooled a little now - still a balmy night - and oh such a great day was had!! Finally got off the fourth and final plane into the warmth of Split, on the West coast in the southern part of Croatia. We got to the hotel and showered - nice not to be smelly!! And then off for a walk along an awesome limestone walkway through a park that leads to sensational views of the city with a swim to cap it off - the ocean was very popular and was sensational. Have photos to show when I get some software happening here... watch this space. The evening was awesome - drinks with the celebrating party who have collected together here on a terrace bar overlooking the oceanic sunset, then a wander around the ancient streets in the late twilight - again you'll understand what I mean when I post some photos. The Frenchman is snoring as I type - and I'm looking like I need some rest too - but well, holidays are meant for doing things!!!!

Singapore Airport

2007-06-22T00:55:00.001+10:00

This airport changes all the time - but it never looks any different.

Two minutes to post - time limited internet kiosks... but they ARE free.

I love the first leg of an international trip - it clears my head - I guess its one of few times I am forced to sit and be entertained. I read, I check out new music (so many cd's to test out on demand!) and watch the occasional movie. The focus is always one of an international overview of life the universe and everything - maybe it's the low oxygen concentration... but I love it.

Anyway the first leg in Business Class was a dream - really good - 2 movies - Blood Diamond (very fitting the international perspective theme) and a Hugh Grant movie - that I can't remember the name of right now - but both really good in very different ways, and I slept like a baby. Heading to the back of the plane for the rest of the trip... I hope I fit and or sleep...

Next stop, Frankfurt.

Made it to the Airport

2007-06-21T15:06:00.000+10:00

I was chauffeured to the airport by Christiaan (the artist formerly known as Craig) and Brenton who ensured that I was not running late. Sylvain came from work and met us there. So now we're in the Air Singapore Business Lounge at in Sydney eating things we really don't need and wondering what the hell we're doing here. It's been such a long time coming - but we've had such busy days getting here that I think we both want to just find a bed and sleep for more than a few hours. Alas, I'll feel a whole lot better once I'm fastened in my seat and the clouds are whooshing past the windows.

Europe here we come!!!