Europe 2017: London, in a day...

It starts now: long service leave after 25 years of full time ministry for me [Gordon], and ten years of Helen teaching at Ruyton.
Part one of the holiday is seven weeks in Europe.
The adventures Czytaj więcej
Oh, there's snow down there

Turns out the snow is called Switzerland...
Pisa's colourful turny thing

Much overlooked, this is the cultural highlight here. Oh, and some dodgy bell tower. Second highlight, a CRACKER of a baptistery!!! Did my Baptist heart much good. Wandered across the city from the Czytaj więcej
Just Go... (just keep right.)

This van is awesome. 7.5m long and 3.2 wide, it goes fine and is massive armchair comfy. Also terrifying on ancient roads 3.3m wide ;) Note, only one of these vehicles is the van. But who is up for Czytaj więcej
Volterra, Italy

For big impact, go small. Volterra is a 'small' hill town. BUT it also packs 2800 years of constant habitation history into its hilltop walls. The etruscan spirit is still kicking on, make no Czytaj więcej
Siena. Been there. Old, and not.

Do you remember the 13th to 15th century? The Sienese sure do. They rocked the world back then, with supersize cathedral attempts and supercivil government. Now it's dukeing it out 21c style with Czytaj więcej
Assisi. All creation and eras praise.

I thought Assisi was Francis' surname. This is his home town, though is roman era old. It has both ornate and simple churches. It has outwardly religious people, bars, and bowmen. It seeks what Czytaj więcej
Florence. Think. Different.

Florence stretches from renaissance living to real(ish) leather goods, and all points in between. It's been home to Michaelangelo, Leonardo da vinca, Dante, and us (well for coffee in the piazza and Czytaj więcej
Reggio Emilia. Learn. Different.

A delightful surprise and an inspirational time for Helen. This is where the Reggio movement began in early childhood ed. The International Centre is here and we both enjoyed exploring. The centre of Czytaj więcej
Levanto, Cinque Terra's front door

Italians love their front doors. They are often a main feature, though we often overlook them on the way beyond. Levanto will not be overlooked. It is cosy and colourful, with an Apollo Bay holiday Czytaj więcej
Cinque Terra (the five lands)

Five small isolated villages have become a hub of Italian riviera indulgence. Postcard beautiful in sea, sky, and sites (when not utterly crushed by cruise lines tour crowds). Plan to come. But not on Czytaj więcej
'Gourdon'. Must be an awesome place.

Now venturing beyond the cosy confines of Italian order and serenity. First night was here. They almost spelt it correctly too, tho meaning is the same: fortress. Can see a bit from here: that'll be Czytaj więcej
Avignon: centre of the western church

Well it was the centre for a bit, like two hundred years or so. Life for the Pope was a bit (politically) hot in Rome in the 1300s. So what's a Pope to do? Build a new city for yourself and few Czytaj więcej
Arles. What did the Romans do for them..

A theatre for one, an amphitheatre right next door for two, and a marvellous crypt. Sort of MCG / tennis centre precinct a la first century. Van Gogh also made it his home for some years. His art is Czytaj więcej
Pont du Gard. Built to last.

Romans love a good bath. And a fountain or two. Oh and it helps if one keeps the slaving masses alive. All this needs water. As I'm sure you realise, this isn't even a pont; it's an aqueduct. Over 50 Czytaj więcej
Now THAT'S a pont.

(a bridge for you non francophiles). This one is made without human hands: only nature's hand using stone, water, wind, and time. Pont-dArc is part of the Ardeche gorge: picture the Murray River Czytaj więcej
Gday from Switzerland.

Cloudy and cool here. We'll see what the next few days bring....
Interlaken. A destination, a beginning

Interlaken is a big country tourist town. There are plenty of shops restaurants and hotels to keep you fed and comfy. It was raining heaps so we rested up here. Interlaken is also the beginning for Czytaj więcej
Lauterbrunnen. Sleep under 5 waterfalls

Yep, there are five waterfalls in view as we tuck in for the night. This is because this glacial valley has vertical walls over 200 meters high. It's a long way for water and base jumpers to fall. Czytaj więcej
Schilthorn. WOW !!!!!!!!

Wow is international language for 'I do not believe what I am looking at, and clearly no one else in this cable car does either'. It's spoken in unison by all the very moment we break through the Czytaj więcej
Autostrade/route/bahns. A user guide.

Here's a quick user guide to motorways, as we've done eight hours on the road today from Switzerland most of the way to Paris.
French autoroute. Respectable paved roads with utterly random toll Czytaj więcej
Paris. It's over here.

Buildings. River up the middle. Heaps of old stuff. Yep we are in a city again. Left bank espresso was loved; constant police sirens not so much. I think it'll better on the inside. Well see over next Czytaj więcej
Versailles. Birthplace of democracy?

"Versailles represents the highest and lowest points in European royalty" Discuss.
When you are the King, and the Louvre is too dinky and squat, and you don't like the neighbours, you built Czytaj więcej
Paris part two: the art binge session.

We don't aim low: two vast internationally famous museums, one day to do them. An early start leads to a full and brilliant day. Musee d'Orsay in the morning for 19th and 20th century art. They also Czytaj więcej
Paris part three. Let's walk up there...

Louvre. Done. Museum d'orsay. Done by 4pm. Now, let's do the Champs-Elysées, Paris' mashup of top end Collins Street shops with Royal Parade width and trees. We walk from the Louvre up to the Arch de Czytaj więcej
Kathryn BertramYou look surprisingly fresh and awake.
Joy Marshallthe front of the top deck is awesome