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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

‘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 […]

With Pebbles, the Queen of Le Châble, perched on my lap we braved the fresh autumn snow fall and headed from Le Châble in Switzerland, to Annecy in France for lunch. ‘Man the windows!’ Accidentally Cultured constantly wailed.  Pebbles digestive system was extra bad today and I was beginning to agree she needed to stay on the gluten free diet.  A particularly bad moment is captured in this photo! ‘Look! Look! Look!  You’re not looking!’ Odd as it may seem, AC was convinced I was not looking at this magnificent pink Church nestled in Trient Valley, encased within the snow-clad Alps. ‘What the hell is going on here?’ This was […]

‘The Old Town in Geneva is as boring as bat shit!’ Only Accidentally Cultured would react this way to such an amazing place! So we decided to settle for Montreux for lunch and a tour of Château de Chillon. Château de Chillon hovers graciously over Lake Geneva on the outskirts of Montreux in Switzerland and was once home to the Dukes of Savoy.  This ancient historical monument was established in the 12th century, but excavations indicate it has been occupied since the Bronze Age. It is a large, rambling Château with 46 rooms to visit.  Here we are in the ancient courtyard, ready to begin! We began our tour in […]

Accidentally Cultured had an overdose of culture when we visited Denmark in autumn last year. He was dragged around five royal castles helping me search for Caroline Matilda and Leonora Christina.  They are two royal women who suffered exile and imprisonment in 17th and 18th centuries.   And, after a month of travel he was feeling pretty desperate. ‘I want my photo taken with ‘The Little Mermaid’ ‘, was all he had to say as we dashed off to yet another castle.  So, on the last day of our visit I gave in and his wish was granted.  Perhaps he fancies himself as the young, handsome prince the little mermaid […]

    If you leave me can I come too? This is AC’s favourite song! AC was at Jupiter’s Casino on the Gold Coast, Australia. He was busy learning how to wash coal at a conference. But, his favourite band ‘Mental as Anything’ distracted him with his favourite song. You guessed it –  If you leave me can I come too?  Spotifying He has a great time ‘spotifying’ his favourite parts of the song, especially the bass bits , which always give him ‘goosebumps’ and nearly deafen us.  Next time I threaten to leave him, I can see a dose of the lyrics coming up! Proof that he was suitably encultured […]

Amersfoort is a hidden gem!  The medieval old town abounds with history and culture.  So, here is a glimpse of what the city has to offer! Amersfoort is a flourishing city with beautiful suburbs and a well-preserved medieval old town. And, it all began as a prosperous merchant town which was granted a city charter in 1259. Remarkably, it still has its city walls, canals and ancient dwellings.  In its medieval heyday it was famous not just as a pilgrim destination, but also for its beer brewing! Pilgrimage to Amersfoort Pilgrims flocked to Amersfoort in the hopes that the Virgin Mary would reward them with a miracle. In medieval times […]