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 […]

Introduction German Castles are so romantic!  They belong to the world of fairy tales, handsome princes and beautiful princesses! They are the places where dreams come true! The moral of romantic fairytales is often quite obscure and last year I travelled all the way to Germany to see the Castles where two royal women languished in fairytales that turned into nightmares.  The Ducal Palace in Celle was home and prison to both of these women, a mother and her great granddaughter both sharing the same fate.  I visited Castles searching for these two women, and came away with a fascination for the way the past impacts on the present. I […]

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 […]

  Pebbles is an Entlebucher Sennenhund Swiss dog who lives in Le Châble, Switzerland.  Like most Swiss dogs she is keenly aware of her own self-importance.  Having lived most of her life as the ‘Lodge Dog’ in Richard Branson’s Lodge in Verbier, this trait is not surprising.  It earned her the proud title of ‘Queen of Le Chable’! Despite her regal demeanour Pebbles does have some rather ‘doggy’ habits.  Her owners blame this on her penchant for eating cow pooh!  Jo has even gone so far as to put her on a gluten free diet, like herself, to reduce the problem.  But Pebbles and I have an agreement!  She puts […]

‘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 […]

Sophia Dorothea was the wife of King George I of England who ascended the throne in 1714 with two mistresses!  The cruel man had left his wife behind in Germany, imprisoned for the last 32 years of her life. So, I went in ‘search of’ her in England and Germany to see how history has remembered her. Sophia Dorothea in England My search for Sophia Dorothea began in England where I failed to find any evidence of her existence. However, I did find a rather stern faced terracotta bust of her husband, King George I in the National Portrait Gallery, London. Sophia Dorothea in Bath I had my first encounter […]

    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 […]