Coming Full Circle (The one post you should read!)

After 96 days, 30,616 frequent flyer points, 17 countries and 14 currencies, I am back in Melbourne.

 So, welcome to the final post (number 41) of my holiday - albeit written two weeks after arriving home!

That's a lot of words, hey? But then, I have never been known for my brevity... and for those not so enamoured with words, I have a table and a few key links below - just scroll down, go on, you can risk that you might get distracted and read something on the way... ;-)

As you can gather, on returning I have usually received one of two greetings:

1. The blog was so great, thank you, I was travelling with you from the comfort of home...
2. I have a confession, I read none/one of your blog entries... (or it's alternative - you only did a couple, right? I saw those... ;-) )

Well, I understand; I will confess too that at times writing about the holiday has felt like a chore, but I am glad I persevered as it feels good to see it through to the end. And thank you for those who have contributed through comments - my apologies for those who wrote and lost comments. I am certainly the poorer for it.

And the Business Analyst in me loves that the server hosting this blog compiles some statistics about its readers - so it's fascinating to see that "Travellin' with Aveline" was read in every continent, except Africa and Antarctica (and no - it wasn't all me, the timestamps show that!). I'm still trying to work out which of my well-travelled friends were reading in the more exotic locations of Russia, China, South Korea, Iran, and Serbia... (I have a list of suspects, you know!)

And we are so close to 2000 views - I hope these final posts can tip us over that number. Given the limited number of people I shared the link with (and that many opted for the email, so maybe didn't visit the blog at all), that's pretty amazing. Again - thank you for sticking with it, and for the kind comments!

But it wasn't all roses... I see that the least popular post was about the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens, with only 7 hits... for shame all you green thumbs! And that this was closely followed by my first post on Cuba. A tragedy, really, as this had some of my favourite photos in it (and why would more people read part 2?).

Speaking of which - if you just want to look at the photos - all 367 photos from this blog can be found here:
Travellin' with Aveline: The Americas and Europe Pics

And not that we need evidence of the existence of Schadenfreude, but coincidentally, the two highest hits were on the two "disaster" entries. *sighs* Guess it's more newsworthy when it's something bad? I know, you were just concerned enough to actually read if I was still alive... ;-)

Bah Humbug! (or Lessons Learnt from Travel) - a whopping 72 Views (and the most comments - your sympathy was much appreciated though)
Do Cry for me in Argentina - 34 Views

Oh, and between them - The Itinerary (with 54 views - all possibly checking to see when the endless stream of blogging might stop!?) ;-)

Okay - enough navel gazing... let me sum up the trip.

Despite all my travel, this was the first time I circumnavigated the globe. I wish I had made more of an effort to compile an itinerary going west, rather than east. All that getting up earlier lark is so not me! Also - by going to Europe and the US earlier, and South America later, I probably would have averaged out the temperatures a bit more. I don't mind (in fact I prefer) to travel in cold weather - but with only the carry on luggage, it did mean owning and wearing only one jumper for six weeks (albeit a very nice Calvin Klein number, purchased in the sales in New York!).

The most common question I have been asked on returning has been where was my favourite place? I would have to say it is a tie between Peru and Cuba (and notwithstanding the regular favourites I always return to: NYC, London, Paris). Both countries are fantastic for their diverse attractions, great value (ie things are cheap!) and friendly people. The worst for me was Guatemala and Belize - for the weather mostly, and breaking a toe, the sandfly bites, upset tummy, as well as the room-mate from hell... yeah - it kinda fell apart at that point...

But to be thorough - here's a best of/worst of table for you all - if you like, the cheat's guide to Aveline's holiday, so I need never know you didn't read any of the blog!

What?	Best	Worst
Country	Peru – so much to see and do! And very cheap drinks to go with the great food!	Belize – rain, sandflies, and pushy guides - need I say more?
City	Amsterdam - a new discovery for me and up there with NYC, Paris, and London.	Dubai – hot, spread, out, and limited to shopping or swimming…
Town	Cusco – lovely historic plaza Lugano – so scenic and tranquil	Foz do Iguacu/Puerto Iguazu – not much besides the magnificent falls. Tikal – a lodge in the tropical and very damp Guatemalan jungle
Food	Peru – ceviche, seafood, Pisco sour, and half-decent white wine… $10 Lobsters in Belize (huge too!).	Cuba – a bit better in the private family restaurants, but mostly bland chicken and rice…
Drink	Gluhwein in the Netherlands/Germany/Switzerland Mojitos in the Thermal Baths in Machu Picchu Town / Aguas Calientes Saffron and Cinnamon tea in Dubai	Inca Cola – it’s luminescent yellow! But it does taste OK – like creaming soda. Mate – it’s OK, but not my favourite taste; I prefer Coca tea…
Take away Meal	Turkey ciabatta, sweet potato salad, apple cider and pumpkin pie picnic (courtesy of Dean and Deluca Gourmet Deli) under the Manhattan Bridge on Thanksgiving.	McDonalds value lunch (the only time I ate there in 3 months) in Geneva, because it was all I could afford with my last CHF$8!
Snack	Cheesesteak filled pretzel – Philadelphia Amish Donuts - Philadelphia Atun Queso Empanada – Rapa Nui	Can’t think of any… I did carry a peanut muesli bar in my handbag for 2 weeks. It still tasted OK though…
Sight	The views of Rio de Janeiro from the Sugarloaf Mountain – spectacular!	Geneva’s Floral Clock (What’s the big deal with the big dial?)  And Dubai’s “old” souk (I’m older!)
Site	RAPA NUI – loved finally seeing the Moai and learning about the island culture. This has been long on my wishlist. INCAN – such impressive, large, well-built monuments in amazing locations!	Roman Amphitheatre in London (bit of a wall, drain pipe, and lots of green art work to make up for it! Do I sense an Olympic theme here?) At least I saw it for free!
Smell	Two century old perfume shop in Havana	Rio de Janeiro – what a pong for such a pretty looker!
Safety (possibility of crashing)	Strangely enough – the little Cessna with 5 of us flying over the Nasca Lines in south Peru – crashing never once entered my mind…	Yucatan, Mexico - Driving in torrential rain in the dark on a country road with oncoming trucks… pleased to live to tell the tale!
Weather	Cuba – sunny, but not too hot. Staying ahead of bad weather by 1 day in USA and Northern Europe – blue skies in snowy Switzerland!	Icy pavements in Washington DC (although the Snow was REALLY cool for the first 30 minutes…)
Airport	Geneva – precision and efficiency! They have a sorting conveyor belt before you hit security scanning!	Santiago – for the 90 minute wait to get through customs (their lunch break was more important…)
Customs Officers	Lima – so friendly, I probably would have told him anything (very clever!)	Miami – I was in transit for heaven’s sake – why the mean barrage of questions in Spanish?!! I gave you an Australian passport! *rolls eyes*
Hotel Outlook	Balcony with beach views - Paracas, Peru. Corner suite, Dubai. Bay Window - Philadelphia	The small window onto a lightwell hotels – New York City, Puerto Iguazu, and Puno.
Historic Building	Mexico City’s palaces and Museo de Bellas Artes Opera House in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	National History Museum in Santiago Chile (nice architecture, but rather empty)
Tour	Favela tour in Rio de Janeiro. Really interesting to learn about life for the poorer workers in this flash town.	Night tour of Dubai. How many five star hotel lights can you see in 90 minutes?
Wildlife	Giant Iguanas lazing in the sun at Tulum, Mexico Marmosets in Rio de Janeiro’s parks DC’s Squirrels. Cute little critters!	Not seeing a single Tucan in all of South America…
Swim	Tulum, Mexico – even if I did get dumped by a massive wave Iguazu Falls (not strictly speaking a swim, but we did get just as wet with loads more fun!)	Caye Caulker – Belize with sharks and stingrays… (that was supposed to be the attraction!), and walking 20 minutes in the rain to swim in an inaccessible channel between islands with a rip! Are you kidding?!
Performance	The Book of Mormon - in London with NY cast, was fantastically funny. Loved the music from Kinky Boots on Broadway. Every single Cuban performer I heard was fantastic.	Rapa Nui – a bit too similar to the Kiwi and Hawaiian song and dance shows – brief, expensive, and I had the huge head of the person in front of me in all my photos!
Moment	Stepping through the arch onto the vista of Machu Picchu. A real WOW moment! Dancing Salsa in Cuba – both having the dance instructor whisper in my ear that I was the best in the class, and being asked to dance by locals in the clubs. Meeting online friends.	Losing use of the iPhone and having to buy a watch and camera to replace its two key functions. Reading the email in Amsterdam with the sad news of my beloved’s death. Not being able to meet online friends… *pouts*

And so now, according to my TripAdvisor map, I have been to 39 countries and over 160 cities. There are still big gaps - notably Africa and North America. I also have India, Scandinavia (northern lights!), and Japan on my wishlist. I am always amazed when people say I am so well travelled. Because, yes, I have been to more places than most, but there are so many more to see.

And there is so much more to travel than actually travelling. Which is why I have been thinking I might continue with the occasional post on this blog. What do you think? Would you continue to read it? Perhaps if I can find a better template that allows easier comment... anyway the intention is one thing, we will see whether anything comes of it.

So thank you for accompanying me on this journey. We may not have done it in 80 days, but we have now been around the world. We have come full circle - I hope you didn't get too dizzy? Until the next post if there is one... cheers, Aveline. xxx

When an old culture meets a new city - Dubai

As I was flying around the world with Qantas, and they have recently changed their route, I missed out on returning to Singapore for a homeward stopover, and instead had the option to break my journey in Dubai. Something new? Why not! Plus, I loved the time I spent in the Middle East travelling through Egypt, and then overland from Cairo to Istanbul (a journey you would not now be able to do easily through some parts of Jordan or through Syria at all, sadly).

Ah - but there's the rub - for Dubai is nothing like the Middle East! Or perhaps that was the jetlag? It was an "overnight" 6 hour flight, where I think I managed only 30 minutes of sleep. So it's just as well that the magnificent temple that is Dubai International Airport (by the way - is this airport not air-conditioned? It was extremely hot and stuffy in there... or was that the jetlag?) had friendly staff and a very easy entry process (although confusing, as the need to purchase a visa on entry turned out to be a "free" visa, and is essentially just a matter of standing in any line - not necessarily the one that says "post-arrival visa" - and getting your passport stamped!).

Or was that just the jetlag confusing me?

Anyway, all this efficiency meant I arrived via taxi at my hotel around 9am - far too early to check in. So I sat in the lobby trying to work out what time my body thought it was (middle of the night!) and trying to stay awake with expensive coffee (around the equivalent of AUD $7.50!). Two hours later when the room was ready, I was ready to crash. I slept most of the afternoon (I know, always a bad way to handle jetlag - you should try and stay awake and go to bed early instead) and only surfaced long enough to have dinner in the hotel before going back to bed again, where I slept through the night also. So much for day one in Dubai. Here are two photos of my first day - the delightful stained glass windows in the lobby - as taken from the elevator a few floors up:

And the magnificent and luxurious corner suite they gave me - part of the reason it was so easy to stay in the room... plus I was paying for internet access (only complementary in the lobby for 2 hours, and I'd used that up!).

At least I woke up on day two ready to squeeze in as much as I could in a day. Given that Dubai is a city of large building complexes set apart by freeways and temperatures too hot for pedestrians to do any significant walking out in the open, I thought I would try one of the hop-on-hop-off bus tours. My concierge directed me to the subway (love a city subway - these are so new and clean, and such fancy leather seats... oops! I seem to be in a "Gold Class" carriage... just as well it was only for one stop. After that, I took the "Ladies only" carriage. Just because I could!) and the nearest mall to buy tickets.

I booked on a combo night and day tour. But I wouldn't recommend it. I think if you can manage a hire car, then that is how the city has been designed to be viewed. The best part of the day tour was timing my visit to the Dubai Museum (in the Old Fort, which is the oldest building in the city - dating to around the 1790s) with a complementary one-hour walking tour of the souks.

Here's the museum. It's quite extensive in that old-fashioned "we have lots of creepy posed mannequins dressed in traditional clothing" way - plus a stuffed camel (very popular photo point) and a stuffed goat (not so popular)! But I did learn a little about the seven emirate states that make up the UAE, and it was interesting to plot the development and progress of Dubai since the second world war.

I also love this photo of one of the nearby city's Mosques (sadly we did not visit it on the tour...) - and strangely I only heard the call to prayer once while I was in Dubai.

But back to the tour - I was quite excited by its itinerary- we were promised mosques, the Old Souk, plus the spice souk and the gold souk, as well as a river crossing in a traditional dhow.

OLD souk? I think it dates from the 1970s! Of course I've been spoiled by Khan el-Khalili (Cairo), as well as the souks in Damascus, Aleppo, and Istanbul. As a cultural experience I'm afraid this just didn't compare (my photo shows the WHOLE length of the souk, by the way!).

We did pass, however, by a really ornate and lovely Mosque. Apparently the real mosque was the plain one opposite it (which I didn't even bother to photograph, it was so uninteresting!), and this is only used on special occasions! Gorgeous tiles, though!

Our guide also took us through little India (it seemed to me that the workforce in Dubai was either Indian or Filippino - our tour guides being the latter!), but it was shut for siesta... as was the textiles market. :-( Where have I heard that before? The boat trip, along part of the Dubai creek was great though, and quite refreshing to be on the water.

And we got free samples at the spice market - I tried (and bought) some camel milk chocolate (looks like coloured pebbles for a fishtank!). The family has been nibbling away at it since my return. The spices always make for interesting pictures. They did tell us what all of these were - but I can't for the life of me remember any other than the dried limes, and dried smoked limes at the left - and cinnamon at the back...

The obligatory dates were handed around to try, although I was only one of two people willing to try a saffron and cinnamon tea (anything with cinnamon and I'm in!). There is a sugar cube at the bottom, and you use your cinnamon stick to mush it up into the saffron. I thought it tasted fine. Kind of like saffron and cinnamon and sugar... I was told it was a calming and relaxing tea. I was too hot to disagree - or was that the tea at work? Perhaps it was the jetlag...

Our last stop was the gold souk, which is very sparkly (and very quickly snapped - there wasn't much time to stop on the tour - strictly no shopping allowed!).

Although we did pause to see the Guinness Book's largest ring (around 5kg from memory). It's not a real diamond, by the way! ;-)

But clearly, this is a bygone era in shopping and not how most people shop these days in Dubai. No, Dubai is all about the malls, and there are plenty of them.

Although I could not get the day and night tour itineraries to combine the old city tour and a trip out to the couple of malls and the beach and ensure I was back in time to catch the night bus from the city again (the route kind of went backwards for my needs... always the left-hander, hey?). So I ended up using my public transport card to take the more direct subway route out to see at least one of the malls and back again in time for the night tour.

I picked the Mall of the Emirates, although older and not as trendy as the Mall of Dubai, I was intrigued to see its ski slope inside! Who says a desert environment should cramp your winter style? ;-)

And on the way, I actually got better views of the surrounds from the Subway (which becomes elevated outside of the CBD).

But in all, the bus tour was disappointing, really. I was tired and hot (after Europe's cold weather) and wanted to mostly sit down in air conditioning for the day. That was really why I picked this option. The commentary recording was okay and informative, but it's impossible to take even half way reasonable photos on these things. I liked the architectural contrast of this one (no idea where I was!).

And so, the night tour. Oh dear. The night tour...

It was freezing even when the wind wasn't blowing. Many people left the top deck and went downstairs to try and stay warm. The microphone stopped working half way through the trip, which frankly was a blessing, as I was getting tired of the "I am only kidding" punch lines of our guide... The commentary mostly consisted of... here's a five star hotel, and here's another five star hotel! On that vacant lot... they will build a five star hotel!

For 90 minutes of this torture, I have barely two photos to show.

The first is of Burj al-Arab - the world's tallest building. This was extremely difficult to photograph from a moving bus at night while shivering (difficulty level 11!). Whenever the bus actually stopped, there was always a street light in the way! My camera roll has many, many blurry or over-exposed shots of this iconic building.

The second is of the night skyline - not as good an opportunity as the photo crossing back from the palm islands... but I was on the wrong side of the bus and rather over it all by then. So, I am afraid this will have to suffice (note the pesky lamps that interfere with bus-top viewing!).

I think Dubai is a lie-by-the-pool-go-buy-more-designer-bathers sort of place. I kind of expected this, but was hoping the old town would provide some alternative, but it just wasn't old enough for me. The food was great, though, in the restaurants I tried (Indian and Japanese). But I was seriously travel weary, and about to come down with a terrible head cold that awaited my return to Melbourne. The irony is I was trying to use this stop to help me overcome the time differences between Europe and Australia.

So in the end, it was all about the jetlag...

I will do a wrap up post to finish my very lengthy travel tales. Thank you to all those who have given me feedback about the blog. Glad you could share the journey with me! One more to go... Aveline. xxx

A chocolate shop to call one's own!

Hello and welcome to my penultimate destination - Geneva. The home of the United Nations in Europe, and many other international associations (like the Red Cross/Red Crescent). As a result both the look of the locals and the options in restaurants in this international city are quite diverse - except of course when they are all shut for the New Year's celebrations. :-( But as a result, I took many photos over a couple of days (as there was nothing else to do but walk around and take photos). So, get comfy!

My first priority on the one day when I knew everything would be open (the last day of 2013) was to visit a shop I had researched online - a company I had heard about for the first time in the 1980's - Favarger. They have had a factory and store in Geneva since 1826, and sadly they don't export any more (although they did - which is how I heard of them originally in Australia...)

Why the interest? Because of this line of chocolates that they offer (look closely... look very closely!):

Yes - Avelines! In the 1980s and earlier they were also marketed as "Avelinettes". Awwww...

They offer much more in the store, and Evelyn, the lovely assistant who managed with my terrible Franglais kept giving me free samples of other chocolates in the hope I would buy something other than "Avelines".  Not a chance!

I must confess I was probably a little too excited that morning at meeting my chocolate namesakes, and the extra chocolate she kept feeding me did not calm me down one bit! But they had a great morning too with a crazy Australian lady who could speak French, kept waving all her credit and ID cards around to prove there was good excuse to be excited, and managed to leave with this expensive stash of chocolates.

Ah... well, there goes the surprise for your presents this year, I suppose! ;-)

Geneva was a nice city, but left me a little underwhelmed - perhaps it was the chocolate rush subsiding?  Maybe I had had my fill of picturesque towns around an alpine lake?

So, here's the famous floral clock... not so impressive in this day and age really; I suppose I should be grateful that they had any flowers showing at all for the time of year! It was crowded with tourists taking their photos with it, even as I took this - so I have no idea what magic managed to get them all out of frame (other than experience)!

And a little further on are the lovely English Gardens,

 and the lakefront, which is a lovely walk,

especially as the sun sets:

Although on the first day, I missed the famous water jet (144 metres high) as they switch it off around 4pm I discovered!):

And there's a lovely little lighthouse on a spit of land that the local ferries cross before, as they zigzag across the city end of the lake.

It is possible to walk along the foreshore and out past the "Sea Baths" to this little monument. In the end I had to be rather rude to several people to get this shot...

So please appreciate it! I was so over thoughtless people walking in front of me for three months while trying to take a picture. I finally snapped.  It seems a bit of grumpy old lady can actually go a long way (I believe a young Italian gent is cowering behind the tower *chuckles*)!

While Geneva is very stately, I think I prefer Zurich, particularly the old town, which felt a little more historic (as in more medieval - Geneva reminds me more of its heyday in the 19th and 20th centuries - and I was a bit morbidly thrilled to see a plaque commemorating where Sisi was assassinated!).

But even the main church in the old town looks like a stately building of this time (that's the church behind the portico on the right!).

Here's a better view from the other side of the square.

And it had a spectacular chapel within:

I suppose looking at pictures of the old town, there is a French connection - particularly with the cafés on little squares. I liked that this one provided blankets for its customers (it was probably around 3-4 degrees when I was there appreciating the Glühwein).

And the cold certainly didn't keep these keen gamers out of the Parque des Bastions - all quite serious players judging by the looks on their faces.

This park has a famous wall - the Reformation Wall, which was an opportunity to use my panoramic feature on my iPhone - boy did I miss this throughout South America... well, an excuse to go back, maybe? Notice the one person standing in my shot (not me - the dude at left)? There's always one...

Here's a better close up. As you can see it was beautifully sunny on this day.

But mostly, the city was closed, leaving me with wintery, empty pictures like this one in the park next to the UN compound.

Thank goodness for Chinese calendars being different. I had a very nice meal in a rather packed Chinese restaurant one night, but struggled to find alternatives for the other three nights I was there (kebab one night)! I was disappointed to go out to the UN headquarters and find that as it was closed, all the flags had gone missing...

Surely flags don't need a new year's holiday? At least the artwork decided to remain on the walls. All together I found this style of art a bit too much, but looking at sections of the mural, it has photographed quite nicely!

And like any city, it has its quirks. I will leave you with this delightful one... I am guessing Herr Muller is a married man who perhaps reminisces about a time when things were much... simpler?

(Please note the artistic use of reflection to show you the Quai des Bergues! This is where Avelines are sold - the chocolates that is, my holiday funds were not in need of additional sales to top up!). 

So - homeward bound. I did finally relent on my carry-on rule when I left Geneva (blame the chocolates), checking in my little bag, so I could carry three totes as carry on and "shopping". Although I had to fork out good money to get the case wrapped in all that clingy film, as the security belt I wanted to buy was not even a remote possibility with all the shops closed in Geneva. I managed to buy a Samsonite one in Dubai - the last in the shop, in safety orange, which looks a treat on my little purple case!

But more about Dubai in the next post... until then, thanks for reading! Aveline. xxx

Funicular, Bus, and Trains galore!

My last stop in Europe was Geneva. I had a different railway ticket this time - rather than book a seat on a specific train at a specific time, I had a ticket valid for travel on one date between two points (well, between four points, as it specified which route I should take from Lugano to Geneva - via Locarno, Domodossola, Brig, and Lausanne).

I had asked the previous day at the Zurich railway station about how this ticket worked - and had a nice enough staff member who printed a recommended timetable that connected the trains quite well - four of them in total: from Lugano to Locarno (with one change), then via a short walk to catch the FART (is this a comment on how the train runs or the effect of the food they serve in the dining car?) to Domodossola (which is actually in Italy), where I pick up a final intercity train all the way through Brig and Lausanne to Geneva. Not too bad - leaving at 10.30am and at my final destination around 4.30pm. The bonus here  would be seeing the scenery by daylight (remember it's dark by 4pm!).

So, this time taking the funicular right outside the hotel, I was ready to start the journey a little early arriving at the station just before 10am (I think this picture is Lugano Railway station, but they do start to look the same after a while...), where I took an earlier train to Locarno (hey, I'm liking this ticket already!).

All went well for the first leg to Locarno (I had one change at a station that saw me returning in the same direction (!) but not to panic - this time it was through the valley rather than in the mountains above it). I found the underground FART train station to Italy off to the side of the Locarno station. Unfortunately, the notice about the cancelled train was at the bottom of the down escalator - by the time I read and translated from Italian that this train was replaced by a bus for the next three days, then returned to the top of the escalator - I was just in time to watch my 12.30pm bus pull out of the station! Now I understand why the  other train passengers seemed to make a beeline to that unnamed bus stop, which turned out to be the connection (no signs at the bus stop of course!).

So much for the advantage of being on an earlier train!

So, the next bus was at 2.30pm. I would never make the other connecting trains I had planned... With all my luggage in hand, I wandered down to the lake and had a coffee and some cake (because everything seems better with either cake or ice-cream). The view did go some way to making up for being stranded in a little village for two hours!

And, as is often the case with these unplanned things, the replacement bus ride from Locarno to Domodossola was around Lago Maggiore and truly spectacular. There were views like this the whole way.

Even if the road was not wide enough for a bus and a car to pass, let alone two buses (both at crawling pace as the window of the other bus passes by with inches between the passengers' anxious faces!), most of the journey had spectacular enough scenery to distract from the "European" driving. Even when we left the lake and headed along the freeway, the Alps and blue sky were amazing.

We were waved across the border by a nonchalant border security guard - thank you, EU!- to arrive at the snowy town of Domodossola where it was a short crunchy walk to the railway station. I was a bit concerned as the next Train to Geneva seemed to be at 6pm - surely I wouldn't have to wait 4 more hours in transit? A quick query with the station master saw me acting on his recommendation to take the next train to Brig, and try my luck on an earlier connection there (in the end I didn't wait more than 10 minutes at either station. Yay!).

And the views were a winter wonderland of secret valleys.

That is, when I wasn't inside a tunnel. I think one of the tunnels we went through was the longest in the region - at least we were in the dark for around 20 minutes before arriving suddenly at Brig.

All in all I arrived 90 minutes later than I had originally thought - which given I waited 2 hours in Locarno, and started 30 minutes earlier isn't too bad at all. The final trip around Lake Geneva was also lovely, with the sun setting over the far shore as we pulled into the very pretty Lausanne. The comedy was provided for free, as the mother next to me and her friend sitting opposite tried to get the baby to look at the sunset out the window - but the child was mesmerised with my typing fingers and the glow of my laptop screen. Even without understanding their French, the exasperation of "No, look at the SUNSET" came across clearly!

Sure enough the end of the journey was done in the dark, and I arrived into Geneva around 6ish, having crossed Switzerland from East to West, and inadvertently adding another country - Italy -  to my itinerary.

I had intended to include Geneva in this post - but the tale of trains together with having far too many pics of Geneva would make this too long. So I will write about Geneva next! We are getting there, and I promise I will finish the journey online for you all. 'Til then - Aveline. xxx

Lovely Lugano

I don't have much to write here - enjoy the pictures of this beautiful lakeside town, not far from Italy's Lake Como (which is the next lake along).  This was the best hotel I stayed in for the whole holiday. Great service, a lovely room, generous breakfast and good central location (even if I couldn't find the Funicular to get there - hint: it was INSIDE the railway station, not opposite, as all the maps seemed to indicate - and ended up walking down the mountain with all my luggage...). They also managed with delicacy my only public, embarrassing breakdown (while checking in). Not your average day at work, I expect...

Anyway, the weather was kind - although it rained all the evening and night of his burial which suited my mood. (I got soaked trying to find the recommended smoking lounge on the edge of town, it was asking about this earlier that triggered the tears, so I could have a memorial merlot and cigar - only to find it was closed. A closer restaurant, which didn't mind me dripping all over their floor, was able to oblige.)

And the rain gave way to blue skies the next day with a little mist in the distance as I walked around the lake as far as Paradiso. It was a lovely promenade, but made me sad as our only roleplay together involved our characters taking a walk, arm in arm. The lake has a jet - not as big as the one in Geneva, but something to walk towards. I also stopped to see a church with frescos painted by a student of Da Vinci, as well as some interesting public art in the little squares that make up the higgledy-piggledy jigsaw of roads for the town. Oh - and I stopped for gelati - because even though it was winter, gelati makes all things better!

For now. Aveline. xxx