As Summer morphs into Autumn, the volatile weather that Melbourne is renowned for eases and the days are more constant making it more predictable for outdoor activities.
Like sailing…
Candle light concerts…
A bit of trail riding, walking and swimming in the Lerderderg Gorge…
Wandering through the outdoor photo exhibition that is part of Photo 2024 that is happening in Melbourne…
For me, though, the most meaningful images were of two significant events that touched Australia.
When Australia sprinter Peter Norman, stood in solidarity with his American sprint compatriats at the Mexico Olympics.
And when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, for the first time, recognised Aboriginal land rights in Australia, at Wave Hill Station.
The calmer weather means that the water in Honsons Bay is very clear so the sea grass and sea lettuce provide beautiful colours on the sea bed.
It was late September, and with my adventure in the Balkans complete, I bordered the overnight ferry from Split to Ancona.
From Ancona, it was an easy ride across Italy to Civitavechia, the Port of Rome to catch the ferry to Barcelona.
A restful way to travel and 14,000 km touring.
The village of Civitavechia is a little way from the port, but it is a nice place for a bit of sightseeing while waiting for the ferry.
There is a certain chaos at Italian ferry ports. There are no electronic tickets, and the ticket office always seems to be placed a long way from the ferry dock with a myriad of one way unmarked lanes to be negotiated between the two.
But the Italian ferries are relatively inexpensive, and it was a restful 20 hour crossing from Rome to Barcelona.
From Barcelona, I took a route across the Pyrenees through Andorra. Agh the beautiful Pyrenees.
I stopped for the night at Ax les Termes in the Midi Pyrenees. A beautiful hot spring village. With public hot foot baths.
My next destination was to Cahors and its famous bridge. Travelling along the tree lined back roads, past the Midi Canal, rivers, and beautiful villages.
Cohors is a vibrant city. To complement the famous bridge.
My last stop in Europe for this trip was the port city of St Malo, with its old walled town right on the Atlantic Ocean
Of course I had to join in for a swim!!!
For lovers of the maritime world the port at St Malo is a treasure.
The overnight ferry had me soon back in England and my sister’s house in London.
Before boarding the flight back to Australia, I caught up with a mate for lunch in the Cottswalds. A beautiful part of England and reputedly an inspiration for the writing of ‘The Hobbit’ and the ‘Lord of the Rings’.
It’s February in Australia as I reminisce about last year. There are some adventures to be had here at home, but my mind keeps back to a sign at Civitavechia.
I’ve been to Spain (Spagna). Ive been to Greece (Grecia), Sardinia (Sargegna), and Sicily (Sicilia): but I haven’t been to Tunisia.
Dubrovnik was only about an hour from the Montenegro border on the return trip to Split after from Turkey. It was late September, and the high temperatures had moderated. Also there were a lot fewer tourists visiting.
Hence, it was a good time for this tourist to visit this famous city.
While the old city is the tourist focus of Dubrovnik, the new town is vibrant with lots of cafes and access to beaches.
Heading north along the coast toward Split in late September was a beautiful ride. In mid-August, an attempt to travel south from Split just led to gridlock and frustration.
There are beautiful views of the offshore islands and quaint villages and yacht harbours along the way.
One of the beautiful small towns is Omis. It’s only 25km south of Split and sitson the estuary of the Certina river.
Unfortunately, the skies opened (one of only a few wet days I had in 3 months of travel) at Omis, so exploring the town and its beaches was limited.
That put me back in Split, and as September was drawing to a close Iqas on the night, ferry back to Italy.
Having managed some sleep on the chaotic overnight ferry trip from Cagliari (Sardinia) to Palermo (Sicily), arriving at 5am, there was plenty of time to cross the Island to Syracuse.
While the heat wave conditions in Europe had eased, it was still summer, and at Syracuse, the Mediterranean called.
Ortigia is an ancient walled city on a little Islet in Syracuse. Its history dates back to 700bc. Its been Phonecean, Greek ,Roman,,, and now Italian.
Mount Etna looms over the east coast of Sicily, huffing and puffing steam and smoke.
The European and African push together in Sicily, and it’s at Etna that the steam of that collision is let off.
The road around Mount Etna is a fantastic ride up the mountain to the high village where there is a gondola and unimog bus to the volcano craters.
The steam coming from the Etna was impressive. Especially given that there had only recently had an eruption.
Sicily is close to northern Africa and is a frontline destination for people escaping was and issues of changing climate in Africa.
In Syracuse, a humanitarian rescue ship is replenishing.
At the harbour at Messina, there is a memorial to those who have died fleeing war and hunger.
Then, it was another ferry to Calabria on the Italian mainland.
