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 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 […]

‘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 […]

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 […]

Last Friday, a little early for my Artists Books workshop at State Library NSW, I had my very own ‘Accidentally Cultured’ experience whilst walking up Martin Place, Sydney. I found myself distracted from my usual crowd gazing, adoration of the magnificent jewellery and clothing in the shops and wonder at the sight of the ‘Gringotts’ bank , by the mirage of a ‘chariot of fire’ racing towards the George Street pedestrian crossing. I was torn between my sculptor’s brain wondering how it was made, to memories of the ‘Entombed Warriors’ exhibitions.  Snapping back into reality I realized Martin Place was being prepared for Chinese New Year. Continuing my journey, I […]

Arriving in Marrakech, AC gasped in amazement at the sensory overload of the ‘exotic bedlam’ of Jemaa-el-Fna Square! ‘Where are we?’ We had just left the Kasbah Tamadot and the sights, sounds and smells of Marrakech were a bit of a shock! Art Place Hotel, Marrakech We were waiting in the car near the Square for porters from the Art Palace Hotel to collect our luggage when our chauffeur was harassed by an angry police officer for parking in a no standing zone.   Consequently, we hastily departed,  walking across the Square to the Art Palace taking care not to step on dancing cobras. Hence, the exotic doors of the […]

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 […]

About Accidentally Cultured For many years I have travelled extensively with my husband, Paul, who has earned the nick-name, Accidentally Cultured. This is because he never discusses where we are going or why! He just wants to be pointed in the direction of a motorway to get to a nice hotel quickly. As a result, his crazy antics and reactions to the ‘culture’ of foreign destination has well and truly earned him his title. Accidentally Cultured was never intended to be a luxury travel blog.  But for many reasons it is! Firstly, we never budget, but somehow end up in luxury accommodation at very reasonable prices. Secondly, we have indulged in fine […]

Bath in a Flash After the big flight from Sydney, we arrived in London at 7 am, hired a car and headed to Bath. Our visit to Bath was very brief and we left for Beeley around 3 pm. Off to Bealy Despite the pleasure of google maps blue dot on the iPhone I was longing for a paper map. Even more so as the phone’s charge began to plummet towards 5%. AC was nervously twitching in his seat and constantly erupting into various types of rages and fiddling with everything on the dashboard and console. “Where is it?  Where is the f…g thing?  Have you taken my shit again?” […]