Last Day

Doesn't 3 weeks zoom by. On the way home tonight. Always sad to leave but it will also be good to be home with all that is familiar. The holiday didn't quite go to plan but there will always be other opportunities. Looking forward to good weather (warmer) & the imminent daylight saving. Must pack & minimise what I have to carry on because I won't be able to lift it into the overhead lockers. Hopefully some nice, kind people will assist. I only have an hour between flights from Geneva & Zurich so I hope there are no delays. About 7 1/2 hours to kill in Hong Kong. See you all soon.

Another Lazy Day

It is about 6 degs outside the warmest it has been all day & got down to -2 degs last night. Not much to report as I haven't left the house all day. I managed to sleep all night courtesy of a sleeping pill so that's a plus. Alex & Todd leave for London tomorrow morning & I brave the long haul flight on Thursday night (French time) Looking forward to it being over. Have caught up with some reading since we got back from Italy. Paris and the train trip between France & Switzerland is going to have to wait until the next trip.
Looking forward to catching up with you all when my ribs will allow.

A Trip to a French Dr.

After a night of next to no sleep decided it was time to pay a trip to Dr Jean Luc Masson. My ribs have been getting progressively worse so no position was comfortable to sleep in last night. Great Dr. (delightful & spoke some English), confirmed my diagnosis of broken ribs and laughed at Neurofen + panadol as treatment. Said it would be nowhere near enough to control the pain. He prescribed an analgesic, an anti-inflammatory & a sleeping tablet and also a very expensive (51 Euros) elastic bandage. It is going to be interesting doing a long haul flight on Thursday / Friday. Apparently will take 8 weeks to heal & at least 2 weeks before I won't need constant medication. I am moving very gingerly & to quote the good Dr. 'no laughing, no sneezing, no coughing ............(no breathing) and sit up straight like a queen!' (Oh .... & lay off the whisky)

It is quite cold here at the moment about 7 deg during the day. Matt & Greg are trying to catch up on work & the rest of us are generally being nuisances, reading, planning Todd & Alex's Xmas trip back here. We are going to have a BBQ for tea but something tells me we will be eating it inside. I am trying to drum up the energy to cook banana cake after some fairly non subtle hints.

a Quiet Saturday

Yesterday was catch up day. Matt with business stuff and the rest of us with washing etc. We all caught up on some sleep. Todd & Alex organised their flights to London for next Wednesday where they will be staying with friends for a while & doing some relief teaching. Another roast for tea last night - Greg's choice to compensate him for the crappy meals he had to endure while we were away. Alex, Todd & I went to Lake Montriand yesterday afternoon & had coffee & dessert at a restaurant on its banks while Greg went off to inspect 3 more chalets to add to their books. Lake Montriand is exquisitely beautiful surrounded by mountains. Wedding photos were being taken there by a small lake to the side. We were going to a small village fair but that didn't quite work out.
Alex, Todd & I had a Sudoku competition with identical Sodokus printed from the computer. We all watched the X Factor last night - not sure whether it shows in Australia but it is very entertaining.
Not sure what we will do today. It is definitely getting colder here. We had the wood heater on last night. I am really hoping the trees start changing their colours before I leave next Thursday as apparently the Autumn colours are spectacular. Apparently the current weather signals a good winter season with the snow which is absolutely imperative for this region. Have met quite a few of Matt & Greg's friends. They are very much part of this community which seems very friendly and relaxed. Very impressed & I can understand why Matt & Greg are attracted to it.

What a Week

Bitter -Sweet !!! Beautiful Florence, fascinatinating Pisa, magnificent Venice but also ...........
Car problems, mounting bills as a result of, Todd got food poisoning on Tuesday night & suffered all day Wednesday as a result of our first meal in Venice. I fell flat on my face on Wednesday morning in Venice (have no idea how) & as a result have cracked ribs & hurt my right ankle. The ankle is doing OK but the ribs are incredibly painful just held at bay with neurofen.
Despite all this we laughed a lot (painful) & enjoyed our trip. Venice is amazing. I could have spent a fortune particularly on their glass work. Needless to say I bought an owl.
I didn't realise that the Venice that most people visit isn't the main city which is on the mainland. I had no idea that it was a series of islands. I hope they can save it & their predictions of it being under water in the next 50 years don't eventuate. I have never seen so many shops!

Our hotel was interesting - it was right on the Grande Canal next to the Rialto Bridge. Once you entered the hotel you were led through a couple of back lanes to another building. The rooms had silk covered walls & were very quaint.

Thursday night we spent back at Lucca as the car wasn't ready. The part needed was in Milan. The main problem was that Matt's car is a right hand drive not left hand drive like most cars in Europe. We ended up in a hotel on a major motorway. Noisy!!! Thankfully the car was ready Friday morning & we had an uneventful trip back. Nacchos for tea - we were all well & truly over Italian food.

Tuscany was pleasant but in my opinion the landscape is not a patch on the French Alps. And Italian drivers ...... don't get me started .......... they are insane.

We are thankful to be back at Matt & Greg's in one piece.

If you want to see some photos go to:

http://mafoo.com/florence

http://mafoo.com/venice2008/

http://mafoo.com/tuscany/

As Beautiful as They Promise

Sunday - Florence is magnificent. We went on 2 hop on, hop off bus trips & saw the main city sights. Took dozens of photos between us. Statue of David was awesome. I am over Italian food though. Don't really care if I never see a tomato again or pasta. Todd was happy, he got his McDonalds. We also went to Fionsele (?) which overlooks Florence - beautiful aristocratic village.
Monday - we went to an amazing 12th C village on top of a hill - Gimignano. Incredibly popular tourist spot. We had to park the car & walk 1km into the village. Then we hunted for the Renault place where Matt's car was being fixed & received the news that the car won't be ready until Thursday. We then decided that we might as well go on to Venice tomorrow so we will be packing all the contents of Matt's 7 seater into a tiny 1.2l car. I guess we will be nursing some of the luggage. Hope Greg is OK as he has no car & he only expected us to be away until Sunday. He assures us that Rupert will be hunting for his meat. (mice)
This is probably the last access I have to internet for a while so a revoir, caoi.

Back A Day

Forgot to tell you about Thursday. What should have taken 5 - 6 hrs took about 9 hrs. We were stuck outside the Mt Blanc tunnel for 2 hrs as a result of an accident with a truck. The tunnel is 11.5kms long & Mt Blanc is the largest mountain in Europe. There was an avalanche just 4 weeks or so ago which killed 8 people I think. We then navigated our way to within a stone's throw of our accomodation & couldn't find it with the owner's instructions. Language was a significant problem again as the Italian man couldn't understand us on the phone & we couldn't understand him. All was not lost as he came & found us on his scooter.

Today - drove to Florence - but didn't stay as it was too wet. We will go back now that we are staying longer so that we can make the most of it. We went back to Lucca & explored more. Lucca dates back to 3000 BC & Caesar & Pompei had a battle in the ampitheatre here. Amazing place. It now has beautiful windy malls, cobblestone streets among the ancient buildings. I wonder how many of our current structures will last the ravages of time for even a fraction of what these have survived. Much cooler today & has rained most of the day. We have managed to organise to stay at the farmhouse until Tuesday & it will be paid for by Matt's car insurance as will the car hire. Only problem is Greg is stranded at home without a car - just as well he has friends in St Jean D'Aulps who won't see him starve as he really can't go anywhere without a car.

Pisa & Verragio & Downhill from there

What a day! We have finally seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa & the Cathedral buildings surrounding that all date to the 12th & 13th centuries. They were pretty amazing & surrounded by markets of course & lots of Sudanese people trying to flog watches, belts & other trinkets. The weather is fine and hot, hot & Matt's car's airconditioning is not working (& there's more). We then drove on to Verragio which is on the coast & has a marina. The beach is covered with umbrellas. Nice place. So far so good apart from my feet because despite wearing my sandals all last summer without problems they decided to play up & I now have multiple blisters on both feet including the sole of one foot. Not impressed considering I paid $200 for them!

Then on to Lucca - a walled city - & quite attractive but very Italian. Then began our woes. Matt went to use the clutch - no clutch! Interesting getting help when you don't speak the language. Eventually sorted out a tow truck which Matt & Todd accompanied to the local Renault dealer.

The tow truck driver wanted Alex & I to travel in the car on the tray on the back of the truck believe it or not. We didn't - we stayed at a cafe & had coffee. Matt had to hire a car. His car will be ready Tuesday afternoon if we are lucky. So we are staying here longer & have to sort out accomodation for extra nights.

Off to Florence today but at the moment it is thundering outside so not sure what we will encounter. Everyone is in reasonable spirits but worried about how much the car will cost & heaps of other practical issues it raises for Matt as the car is registered & insured in the UK. More later.

Today's the Day

A slight change of plans, Greg is no longer coming with us to Tuscany. He is going to stay home & keep the wheels turning over. The phones are really busy at the moment with enquiries & bookings for chalets particularly for the New Year week. Greg was also a bit nervous about leaving Rupert. We are going to head for Pisa to see the Leaning Tower first leaving here at about 9.30am. It will be a 5 plus hour drive. Matt informs me that the temperature in Florence at the moment is 32 deg & by the time we get back to Seytroux it will be 8 deg during the day. Spent yesterday doing homely things like cooking an apple cake & apple crumble & roast for tea (Matt turned his nose up at the roast & had lasagne!) as well as doing numerous sudokus. I also read a number of chapters of my book. Alex, Todd & Matt went for a walk around the village & up a few not too gentle slopes. Will keep you up to date with what is happening via Matt's laptop!!

Photos of Seytroux

This is Seytroux everyone. I have to be honest & tell you they are still not my photos. (As if you didn't work that out! )This is what it looks like at the moment. Now you know why I am enraptured. Couldn't you stay here forever?

Plans for an Extended Weekend

Getting excited because I am finally going to visit the Tuscany region / Florence etc. We are looking at leaving on Thursday but need to be back by Monday for Matt & Greg. Matt has managed to locate a farmhouse on a working farm for us to lease for a very good price. You can find the details at holidaylettings.co.uk and where it asks you for a house no. about 1/2 way down on the left hand navigation bar type in 20484. I am also excited because I got 9 hours sleep last night - starting to feel human again!
Another beautiful day here. Not sure how we will spend it but it doesn't really matter as the surrounds are so beautiful just sitting at home and being. Just about to read up on how to post photos. Oh, I also forgot to say I almost pushed Matt over the side of a mountain yesterday. Mind you, if I had been successful I would have gone with him!

Autumn Ski Slopes

Absolutely beautiful weather today so we (Greg stayed home & worked) toured the ski slopes & wetted Alex & Todd's appetite for when they come back at Xmas. They are getting quite excited. I almost wish I was coming back for Xmas. Todd's Mum & Dad (Brent & Deb) will also be here. We also visited the goat village where all the people reside in pens & the goats wander freely! We had coffee & crepes with lovely berries & fruit icecream in the village. I thought I ordered strawberries but actually ordered raspberries. Some of the roads are a bit scarey - very narrow & windy but Matt has really mastered the art of driving on the right hand side of the road. Have taken some photos & will read up on how to post them soon. It has been a lazy afternoon, reading & doing puzzles. Matt & Greg have been working & Todd & Alex went for a walk after catching up on a month's washing. I was up at 4.00am again this morning despite going to bed later so feeling a bit sleepy now. I ended up making zucchini cake at 6.30am to prove to the sceptical that it is edible. We have finished the zucchinis now which is just as well because I have almost run out of ideas for using them. We are going to have a BBQ for tea & Matt has taken enough meat out of the freezer to feed a tribe. It is still light at night until about 8pm. Rupert continues to cull the mice population & present us with his trophies, They don't have a hope with him around. It really doesn't seem like a Monday. Is there another world out there?

Continuation of Sunday

The Hot Tub was the great attraction for the afternoon (no dry towels now left) & then spag bol for tea with home grown zucchini & other vegetables added. All this accompanied by the X Factor - British TV Show similar to Australian Idol but mainly the worst auditions - quite entertaining but cruel. Goodness knows how people can be so deluded about their lack of talent. Those who encourage them should be shot!! Matt & Greg have all the British TV shows by satelite. Alex & Todd appreciated the opportunity for homecooking & TV in a language they could understand. They have been travelling since July.
Have tried to stay up a bit later tonight so hopefully I won't be up at 4.15am as I was this morning. So good to face Monday without a huge list of 'have to dos'. I don't think you are really fully aware of the pressure you are under until it is lifted. Todd & Alex have been safely deposited for the night at the Chalet Matt borrowed from its kind owner & will rejoin us for breakfast. They looked as if they won't have any trouble sleeping tonight.
We will do some touring tomorrow in the local region, the weather is supposed to be good. This is a great way of me keeping a journal of my trip something which I rarely do & always live to regret.
About to hit the sack & hoping that there might be a dry towel for my shower in the morning. They are hanging on a clothes horse in front of the fire in the lounge room. enough of my ramblings.
Goodnight.

Geneva, Todd & Alex &, of course, Us

Hi Everyone
Matt & I drove to Geneva this morning to pick up Todd & Alex after a 12 & bit hour overnight bus trip from Madrid. View along Lake Leman (Geneva) was stunning. Weather great in Geneva & easy to negotiate the CBD because it is Sunday. Wasn't popular with matt because I left my camera behind. (not used to having one) The bus was an hour late & they both looked shattered but have perked up after a stop at a French Pattisserie & lunch of quiches, salads & meats & pastries! Matt managed to talk Greg into retrieving his brand new 4 week old mower from the Repair Shop yesterday which came to grief as he wasn't aware they needed oil as well as petrol. Greg copped a lecture from the repair man which he took on the chin (he didn't dob Matt in). Matt is now out mowing his front lawn with an audience. Rupert (the cat) has also presented us with another trophy ( in the form of a field mouse) & looks very smug about his catch. It is great weather today after solid downpours yesterday so lunch was outside.
We had a wood fire last night. It feels like I am a million miles away from my life back in Adelaide both in terms of environment & my psyche. It's wonderful to slow the pace down & just do homely things like cooking.