Carol the Pilgrim heads to Florence A weird mix of events led to Carol the Pilgrim being ‘Lost in Florence at Midnight’. It all began with the train trip from Orvieto to Florence. There was one of those usual delays where the train just suddenly stops – for 3 hours! The delay was due to a ‘border control’ issue! But we were pacified by the delivery of a bag of snack food and a drink! The train delay meant that Carol arrived in Florence in the late afternoon and she checked into her usual hotel. She had two objectives for in Florence – to buy a train ticket to Switzerland […]

Mont Fort Sunrise is one of those ‘accidentally cultured’ travel experiences that my sense of adventure seems to attract! I have to admit, I was totally unaware that Mont Fort existed. But, unable to resist a sunrise photoshoot at 3328 m, I recently found myself heading skyward towards this magnificent destination. Mont Fort Sunrise Mont Fort is a mountain in the Swiss Pennine Alps. It rises high above the famous Verbier ski resort and it takes four cable cars to reach it! Obviously, it offers a fabulous ski run in winter. But, in summer, although it is a great place to hike, viewing the sunrise at this altitude is a […]

The Via Francigena is a pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome. It is based on a journey made by Archbishop Sigeric in 990 AD when he went to Rome to receive his Pallium from the Pope. On his return journey he wrote a diary recording the 79 places where he rested.  Today, these places form the basis of the pilgrimage. However, Carol the Pilgrim has a special interest in the Swiss Via Francigena. Carol has enjoyed the Swiss Via Francigena for many years. It is so enjoyable and life changing  she has set up her own company Via Francigena Tours to share this experience with others.  So, be inspired by her story […]

The Via Francigena Carol had always wondered what it would be like to be a pilgrim walking the ancient medieval Via Francigena pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome.  So, this is a story about how she accidentally became a pilgrim when she decided to visit Romainmôtier Abbey in Switzerland. But, her primary motive for the visit was to see the church which is the oldest Romanesque Church in Switzerland.  And, she is very passionate about Romanesque architecture! The story unfolds one very hot winter’s afternoon when she caught the train from Lausanne to what she thought was Romainmôtier. However, beguiled by a sweet old Swiss lady who she befriended on […]

The Basel Fasnacht, three crazy Carnival days in Basel, drew to its close at 4 am this morning, as I write! Let the Basel Fasnacht begin! Basel in Switzerland has a three day Mardi Gras known as the Basel Fasnacht! The idea of a three Carnival really fuelled my imagination!  So, I headed to Basel by train, travelling from the bottom to the top of Switzerland in a mere 3 hours. This meant that I arrived on Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to orient myself and to discover that my hotel, Hotel D, was on the Parade route. Then, despite the cold, I went for a walk to explore the […]

Last year we visited twenty cities in Italy!  We were following the medieval pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome.  So, Italy was the fourth and last country on our journey.  As a result, we visited twenty cities between Grand St Bernard Pass in Switzerland and Rome. Turin was our first overnight stop over. Normally Via Francigena pilgrims walk or ride a bicycle, but we were travelling by car.  So, we hired a car at Turin airport and drove to our hotel through some very unattractive parts of the city. Consequently,  we were a bit nervous about what  to expect at the Turin Palace Hotel. In 2017, Trip Advisor gave Turin […]

We visited the Palace of Versailles last year in September and it was truly spectacular!  But  a well planned trip will enable you to see this enormous place in style and comfort.  So here is my ‘essential guide’ for maximising your visit to Versailles! Versailles Accommodation My first recommendation is to choose accommodation close to the Palace.  We stayed at the Hotel Le Versailles which was about a 5 minute walk to the Palace Gates.  Our medium priced rooms were comfortable, but not luxurious, and the staff very helpful.  There was also parking available. Dining in Versailles Our hotel breakfast was most enjoyable and kept us going till lunch time. […]

Arriving in Canberra Versailles and Canberra somehow do not quite go together! Currently the National Gallery of Australia has an exhibition of treasures from the Palace of Versailles. Last year I visited the Palace of Versailles in France and my previous post has lots of useful travel tips. Versailles Palace and gardens are in a class of their own. So, very keen to see which treasures came to Australia, we travelled to Canberra to see exhibition. But, the massive cultural differences between Canberra and Versailles were quite a shock.  So here are my impressions! Driving into the main street of Canberra, my head was in the clouds as we drove down the main […]

England in only three days was a very enjoyable challenge!  But given my love of manor houses, palaces, castles, cathedrals and fine dining we managed it quite well.   I do hope to inspire the reader to travel in our footsteps! Arrival in England The flight from Sydney to London is arduous, to put it mildly. Flying with Qantas on QF1 means enduring a 14 hour flight to Dubai; a few hours in Dubai; and then 7 hours to London.  The food on the flight was not only terrible, they ran out of meals. Feeling quite hungry it did not help to be told it is best to order food […]

Turin is a city of marvels! In just one day, we visited ancient Egypt and Rome, the glittering gold of Cathedrals and Palaces.   Also, the fashions and flavours of Via Roma! We hired a car at Turin airport and drove across the city to the luxurious Turin Palace Hotel for a two night visit.  Trip Advisor has just awarded this Hotel as the ‘best hotel in Italy’ and ‘third best hotel in the world’. (See my article ‘Best Hotel in Italy – Turin Palace Hotel).  As a result, we had one full day of ‘accidentally cultured’ discoveries in Turin.  But, the Shroud of Turin was top of my list! Turin […]