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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The Via Francigena Historic Background of the Via Francigena This year, our travels focussed on ‘searching for’ the Via Francigena, a medieval pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome. The pilgrimage is based on a diary written by Archbishop Sigeric when he travelled to Rome in 990 AD to receive his Pallium from the Pope. On his way home, he recorded the ’80 mansions’ where he stayed overnight. This diary forms the basis of today’s pilgrim route. The pilgrimage covers a distance of 1900 km and it takes 3 months to walk!  The pilgrim carries a Credential which is stamped at each overnight stopover. It is proof of completing the pilgrimage. […]

Introduction The Castles of Denmark are truly remarkable! We visited five of them on our recent trip to Denmark. My motive for visiting these Castles was mainly historical. I was searching for two royal women who were imprisoned in two of the Castles to see how they survived and how history has remembered them. Two Royal Women of Denmark The first is Leonora Christina (1621 – 1698), daughter of King Christian IV by his morganatic marriage to Kirsten Munk. In 1648 she was married to Corfitz Ulfedt. Although her marriage was a happy one, she was imprisoned in a dungeon in the Blue Tower of Christiansborg Slot for 22 years, […]

‘Let’s have lunch in Aosta, Italy!’ We were a bit surprised when our son-in-law, Gareth, made this suggestion at 11 am one chilly morning in November. ‘That’s a long way to go for lunch!’, we exclaimed. ‘It’s only a one hour drive away, plenty of time!’,  said Gareth. Now this is a classic example of being ‘accidentally cultured’! From where we live in Sydney, a one hour drive from home leads you to places of dubious cultural heritage like Wollongong, Gosford, or Penrith. But, I am glowing with pleasure because I have been researching the Via Francigena. It is an ancient medieval pilgrim route starting at Canterbury Cathedral in England and […]