Beaune et Vezelay

Beaune has made it on the list of France’s Hot 100 of Beautiful Villages. It is medieval, cobble-stoned, heavily patisseried and shines with colourful geometric tiles on the church rooftops. The shops there also indicate that they attract a wealthy crowd of tourists, although it was relatively quiet when we popped in.

Vezelay is a medieval hilltop town with an impressive abbey at the end of a cobblestone climb up the main street. We enjoyed the late afternoon ambience of the town as the street lamps just started blinking and the sun spread its last rays across really old stonewalls. Well… the photos look okay. We also bought some delicious local honey made by sunflower bees.

Geneve, les Russes, Jura Mts.

Our visit to Geneve was mainly to visit a Voltaire museum. The museum was tucked away in an untouristy area but we found it and had it all to ourselves when it opened at 2.00pm. The museum was Voltaire’s house and gave some insight into his life. Arkady is doing an assessment task on Voltaire so hopefully it was helpful. The highlight for us all though was probably afternoon tea in a chic (but not shabby), eclectic (but not messy) café, where pastries, coffee and hot chocolates were served to us as we sat in an old sleigh near the window. The interior was certainly warm and welcoming and the décor had us spotting mini-chandeliers, old French oilcans, toy hot air balloons, vintage posters etc. We also managed to spend our last Swiss francs (yes they don’t use Euros!)

We found a beautifully situated campsite on the terraced hills overlooking Mont Blanc and Lake Geneve, groves of autumn trees, a winding tiny road, an even smaller village nearby and a sign out the front “Ferme” – closed yesterday. Camping grounds are very seasonal and many finish their run at the end of September. We’ve been lucky up ‘til now- we’ve planned and researched to make sure we had open campsites. The next nearest campsite was a car park at the top of a pass over the Jura Mountains. We started driving, enjoying the views back towards Mont Blanc and kept driving into the late afternoon. The car park was barren and uninviting. Finally we arrived in Les Rousses, a winter resort town for skiing and sometimes a walker’s paradise if the weather’s fine in autumn. It was, and we found a campsite open. The Jura Mountains are spectacular, trails going everywhere and of course that golden autumn glow of the forest. Next year’s Tour de France will hold a stage through this area and the town had posters up celebrating the event already. It should be good viewing in 2010.

Lac d'Annecy

Annecy was busy on a Monday afternoon. The French were on “vacances” and enjoying the sunny conditions. The walk along the lakeside to the old town is lined with giant trees all glowing in autumn colours of gold, orange and red. A little contrast is provided with the odd green leaf and some bare branches already in winter mode. Happy Birthday Jood. Half a day driving, a walk through the old town- full of canals and tiny shops, and as an extra treat a stay in a camping ground that feels like a farmers front yard. Nice owners though.

Levanto -Cinque Terre-Mont Blanc

Levanto is a great little town just north of the Cinque Terre, in North-eastern Italy, about 80 km south of Genoa. Our main aim here was to walk the Cinque Terre (five pretty coastal villages generally unreachable by car). Unfortunately the first day it was raining so we stayed at home and relaxed at the campground- reading, writing in diaries, internet, washing etc. The campground is beautifully set among olive groves and vineyards on a terraced hillside close to town centre. It also has a café/restaurant with wifi access, perfect for us. The rain continued and the skies stayed dark and gloomy until about 3.00pm. A little later the same afternoon we strolled along Levanto’s beach boulevarde in brilliant sunshine along with the whole town’s population. Anika and I even paddled in the not–too-cold waters of the gravel and sand beach. There is even a dedicated group of surfers here in Levanto- lots of very short rides on 40cm waves though.

The next day the weather was overcast but not raining, so we caught a train to Riomaggiore and explored this steep little fishing village clinging to a narrow coastal gorge. The train from Levanto passes through a series of tunnels, revealing the coastline at each station along the way. These are very scenic stations, located right on the sea. Riomaggiore is a maze of cobbled streets, stone stairs, tiny lanes and secret short cuts. As well, there is a tiny harbour with typical bobbing fishing boats and an exciting pebble beach where the waves make an incredible sucking sound as they retreated back into the sea.

The main walk is part of the Cinque Terre National Park and requires an entry payment. Only one section – The Via d’Amore (Lovers Walk) was open due to poor weather. Apparently the rain makes some sections of the trail dangerous with rock falls and flooding. We decided to not do the short section as it was only 1 km- about 20mins walk and hardly warranted the park entry cost.

The next morning (a Saturday) we are blessed with clear blue skies and we need no further encouragement; The park trail is fully open so we tackle the hardest section first. Vernazza is perhaps the prettiest town with pastel pink and orange terraced houses surrounding a small protected harbour. The main street is buzzing this morning- probably the sunshine and promise of a warm day. Fishermen are showing off their overnight catch- a mixture of local fish –various sizes and names I can’t pronounce. Twenty minutes later all the fish have just about been sold. There are typical souvenir shops selling foods, wines, ceramics and prints, but the postcards actually match the views we are experiencing.

Soon we are climbing out of the town and with each set of stone steps and turn of a corner the town drops away into the sea. Vines and olive groves have been grown here for centuries, and it is the terraces that really sculpt the steep cliffs and define this landscape. The walking track traverses the cliffs but there are many smaller trails used to access other terraces further up the hills. The sea shimmers blue and silver in the morning light. Beyond each overhanging tree the sparkling waters provide a continuing panorama along the track. We meet only a few other walkers- it’s probably too much hard work for many of the tour group visitors we’ve seen. About 90 mins later we enter the next town, Corniglia, compact and set on a high headland, way above the sea. We wander through the narrow streets to a viewpoint out in the sun and can see up and down the coast to all five villages. Our lunch is the usual- bread rolls, cheese, tomatoes, ham, and salami. This time we sit in a tiny church square just above some diners at a restaurant. The sun is too hot to sit in so we are grateful for the shade provided by the old tree that dominates the square.

From Corniglia the set of steps zigzags endlessly straight down to sea level. On the way we meet travelers lugging their luggage up from the station. We’re glad we didn’t have to go up here and certainly wouldn’t choose to arrive here by train.

The coastal track straightens up along an uninteresting walled section that appears to be made up of abandoned toilets and dress sheds from a few decades ago. They are closed and look pretty untidy. The highlight is meeting a craftsman making stone jewellery from the local black/grey/pink stones. He shows us how he cuts the stones and threads them. We buy Jood a cute little heart-shaped stone pendant for her birthday.

Manarola is also very photogenic and the approach is perfect from a high viewpoint and descending through groves into the main square. Gelatos by the harbour cool us down and make the last km into Riomaggiore a breeze. It’s a level walk along the Via d’Amore which has seen many romantic couples declare their love and take scenic photos to prove it. They also hang locks of all sizes on the railings and gates to declare the bond between them is strong etc. I think this tradition developed after a scene from a movie – not such an ancient tradition then.

We decide to train back towards Levanto and get off at Monterosso, the only town we haven’t yet seen. It is warm and very busy with drinking and gelato-slurping tourists enjoying the unseasonable beach weather. There are even people swimming and paddling in the aqua shallows. A quick decision is made that we should tackle the walk between Monterosso south to Vernazza where we started this morning. This would finish the whole walk (10km in total) and make our life complete. The hot conditions and steep ascent out of town make us all sweaty and wondering if it was such a good idea to save this difficult section until the end of our day. The sights are incredible – vineyard terraces, vast blue seas below us and our poor shuffling shoes as we climb up endless stony steps. We meet a few other walkers who are descending and shaking their heads as we pass them. The trails are very narrow and can only allow single file traffic. At last the trail levels and eventually we descend into Vernazzo feeling very happy with our effort. The kids have actually run ahead of us down the stairs after 2 hours of climbing. Does this mean we’ve joined the Cinque Terre achievers club?

Aosta Valley leads up to Mont Blanc. It is full of spectacular mountains, dark outlines against hazy setting sunshine. In the distance white peaks keep us intrigued. We camp just outside a tiny village, Morgex, with views straight up to Mont Blanc and forests of autumn colours all around. The morning light on the mountains is inspiring and makes me want to take pictures and travel.

The Mont Blanc tunnel costs about $70 to drive through and about 12 mins of your life that are quite unremarkable. The exit into France and the views straight up into a massive glacier certainly spark up the day and from there the views down the valley continue. The freeways to Annecy are great- high bridges, smooth roads, scenic and expensive- 3 tolls, 80km – about $30. That’s nothing compared to the trip to Geneve the next day – 40km for about $18. I haven’t quite worked out how they bill you for the peage freeways- in Italy you got a ticket at the start and when you got off they calculated the distance which you paid for. Here the payments are haphazard, at illogical locations and probably a ripoff. The secondary roads are looking very attractive from now on.

Pisa

Pisa on a grey, rainy, late mid week afternoon should be quiet right? Let’s just say the Senegalese umbrella salesmen on every corner made a killing. Tour buses poured into Pisa literally spilling and splashing tour groups onto the shiny cobblestones of the main piazza. The Field of Miracles includes several ornate buildings but all eyes are on that one grey coloured tower which today matches that of the sky.

The best entertainment here is to watch people taking photos of the leaning tower and lining up endless same shots of the hands up stopping the tower from toppling. There is some creativity but the most popular shot is two hands to the side like a traffic cop experimenting with a new dance move. The other side show is the long row of souvenir stalls with leaning miniatures of all sizes, as well as a few other popular Italian iconic items (as seen in the big must-see cities) – the vespa keying/t-shirt/handbag –quite cool; also the pasta/olive oil aprons and chef hats, the statue of David underpants, plastic gladiator accessories, plastic colosseums and of course snow domes. Whoops… I’ve just given away all the presents we’ve bought for everybody.

The Tower of Pisa does lean and it’s hard not to take a decent photograph but the pix do all tend to look the same don’t they? Walks to the top have to be booked and are expensive. We didn’t go up – it looked pretty slippery too. The kids weren’t all that impressed by it, not sure why. After Rome’s crowds surely we can handle anything.

Roma

Happy Birthday Arkady. We took a lovely celebratory drive from Siena to Rome- about 2.5 hours,which was fine except for the last couple of turns trying to find the camping ground. This was quite frustrating as the signage in Italy is generally confusing. Not only are the directional signs often duplicated and pointing in opposing directions, they are also competing with up to 10 other advertising signs per street direction, in a myriad of colours and sizes. Try finding the one you need in 3 seconds, even with a trusty navigator by your side. Anyway... several roundabout turnabouts, u-turns, scenic stops and lucky guesses later we found the Camping Tiber in the northern suburbs of Rome.

We enjoyed a relaxing dinner and wine that night and discussed how nice Siena had been. Arkady had also spent a leisurely hour opening his presents in the morning, partly in denial that he was having a birthday and partly proud to be 14. The next day at a limoncello tasting in a deli the young and pretty sales girl confused Arkady as someone of legal age and offered him a drink. She was surprised to hear he was 14. She shrugged and laughed when I asked what the legal age was in Italy. Around 18 was probably the answer.

Rome was the busiest city we have visited. The queue at St Peters to have a look at the cuppola and basilica went around the square, and it's no small square. Similar queues at the Colosseum didn't stop us despite the offers of fast-tracking guides with special deals to jump the lines. Every turn of a corner in Rome offers up a surprise- usually in the form of extreme grandeur. Ornate churches are everywhere, as well as monuments and fountains. Fontana de Trevi was hidden by a wall of tourists tossing coins over their shoulder, but it was full of sparkling water and the sheer size of it is impressive. One hundred metres away we snacked on "fonzies" (Italian twisties) sitting on the empty stairs of the University. The contrast away from the main frenzy is amazing.

The Monument to Vittorio Emanuel dominates the centre of Rome where major streets meet leading to the Colosseum, St Peter's Piazza and the Vatican. It is a giant building which houses a museum but what is really impressive are the terraces of stairs and huge statues everywhere. Horses, chariots, Vittorio, horses, angels, horses, Italian flags, two Italian soldiers with guns, Vittorio on a horse, angels playing tennis... and little uniformed men with whistles blowing profusely each time a tourist attempted to sit down on the stairs. It must be a major OH & S issue here.

The Colosseum was novel - gladiators with shields and swords hawking outside the gates to have their photo taken with you. You even get to wear a funny helmet. In between photo shoots the gladiators could be seen having a cigarette or chatting on their mobile phones. The main stadium is excellent and doesn't really require a guide. There are endless arched ports, mazes of tunnels which are now exposed which held the animals and gladiators, the main stage, the green room, columns and exposed stone walls. It is very open and did not feel crowded despite the large numbers of people inside.

A tiny church in the Via Veneto near the Barberino district houses an amazing and unique crypt. It is non-descript on the outside but reveals a small series of rooms along a gallery of decorative rooms. Each room has been carefully embellished with skulls, femurs, clavicles, vertebrae and jaw bones to make beautiful patterns on the ceilings and walls. Some complete skeletons also adorn the walls. The more important monks (ie. their skeltons) of the community have been dressed in robes and recline in stone niches. The decorations could easily be mistaken for iron chandeliers and wallpaper friezes in the low light of the rooms. Thousands of bones have been stacked here to create this unusual burial area.

Unfortunately, the area around Rome ( the true suburbs) are very uninspiring. Endless rubbish, buildings in disrepair, graffitti on everything including complete trains, fountains, signs, houses etc. and some of the worst roads we've seen. Rome's old ruins and history are it's attraction but it's general environment is disappointing and well ruined already.

Still... a gelato a day keeps everybody happy.

Siena

Siena is Venice without water. Cobbled stone streets and tiny lanes all leading to the Il Campo, the main piazza. In the afternoon the golden rays of sun light up the walls of the old buildings and all eyes are on the central church tower which dominates the square. Of course this square has 9 sides and it is famous for a crazy horse race – the Pallio, a tradition which attracts thousands of people into the sloping clam-shaped piazza. It’s hard to imagine horses running around the sloped perimeter of the piazza and apparently often horses finish riderless. In fact it’s the first horse across the line that wins, with or without it’s jockey.

The piazza is a great place to just sit, whether you’ve paid a premium for a “café” on the terraces, or a “birra” on a tiny verandah above a bar, or just reclining on the ancient stones having a cheese “pannini”. We were lucky enough to taste the first cuts from a freshly roasted pig – “porchetta” from a deli. Delicious on fresh rolls. And we felt like locals because they were lining up to buy a giant carved slice as well. We watched the sun disappear behind the red-brown skyline and the thursday night shoppers flocked to the stores as the street lamps came on.

The images of the beautiful doorways with arches, carved wood and interesting knobs could make a coffee table book. The shop displays are also delightful and the delis entice you with arrangements of pasta, oils, vino, breads, cheeses, meats, etc.

The following day brought more sunshine and photo opportunities galore. A climb to the top of one of the churches through tiny spiral staircases took us to the top of an arched walkway with views all around the city and into the Tuscan countryside. The church was actually a museum with 13^th and 14^th century sculptures, religious paintings and heavy wooden books which probably have a better name. A great way to introduce children to history, art and religion is to have a great view at the end of a breath-taking adventure through narrow corridors and tiny ancient stairs. It was also a bit scary at the top.

After further aimless wandering we knew we were ready for the afternoon gelatos. We’ve all become more observant of details, and almost competitive to find hidden photo opportunities- usually a doorway, window, balcony, stuffed animal in a window display, etc. My personal preference has been for sunlight on cobblestones, washing on lines, dogs on leads walking everywhere with their owners and the cool pair of impossible designer footwear striding confidently across those sunlit cobblestones, underneath washing lines with dogs in tow.

We loved Siena. It has grown outwards and there are more suburbs around the perimeter but the centre has retained a lovely atmosphere. There were quite a few tourist groups but the feeling was generally warm not claustrophobic.

We continue to encounter school excursion groups from the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy. Lucky kids. What a great way to experience history, art, culture etc. Plenty of ipods, laughing and the usual teen antics with hand-held camera shots ready for Facebook.

Oh and I watched Siena FC training for their weekend match in the beautifully set stadium surrounded by trees .

All roads lead to…