Venice - wow!

What a truly amazing spot. I was totally prepared to be disappointed having seen and heard so much about Venice, but what an absolutely magic place - even in the middle of August! Every corner you turned there was another stunning photograph, and to just spend an hour or so watching the traffic on the Grand Canal and see everything that we take for granted on the roads, all being dealt with on the water - DHL has a big presence, as did boats loaded with clean laundry for the many hotels!

A Brief European Jaunt No 2

Then back to the chaos of Athens - a wonderful place - vibrant and full of life until all hours of the morning......

Next, off through the Peloppenese to the campsite again, before heading off on the Ferry from northern Greece to Anacona - towards the north of Italy to explore the wonders of Venice.

Ireland

It was a huge shock to the system to arrive in Ireland from Athens to temps ressembling mid winter in Sydney, but County Clare was beautiful - a wild barren Atlantic coastline with brilliant green fields and giant clouds scuttling across the skies. The weather seemed to manage each season most days, but with a predominance of winter, although it was actually mid summer.

It was great to see my Irish friends and be welcomed into their homes and we had lots of coffees and fun exploring the area. The Cliffs of Moher were just down the road - great huge cliffs with waves crashing at the bottom, and the surrounding burren with its many little silvery grey stone walls was beautiful. Paintings will some day be conjured up to capture the wild beauty of this coastline.

I also spent a week in Lismore, down towards Cork. This area felt rather English with lots of big trees and a castle in the middle of the town. And next......... back onto the plane to Athens and Peter!

A Brief European Jaunt No 1

So after a fun time exploring the Languedoc, which goes down to the Spanish border (plus an hour or so for a San Miguel in Spain), instead of taking the ferry to Ireland, I joined Peter on his annual drive to Greece - through France into Italy, and over to Corfu and then Greece on the ferry. Sleeping on the deck under the full moon - what more can I girl ask for! We slowly drove down to Athens and I then jumped onto a plane to Cork to visit my Irish friends there and do some painting (which haven't quite transpired yet - the paintings that is!)

My love of camping actually became a reality in Greece with a site right next to the Med, and I was pleased to discover that the European campsites are very clean, cheap and amazingly well run.

2007 France and Beyond

It seemed there was absolutely no stopping me, the house was sold, James and Joe ‘alternately lodged’ and my belongings all packed up, so before long there I was, back in France and again in Mary’s lovely little house in Fayssinet-le-Gelat.
I spent a month painting furiously, and playing tour guide to various friends, and then whammo.... I met Peter, and my usual French stint (and my life) changed dramatically.

Peter lived in Pezenas a lovely medieval town in the Languedoc region. This was an area I had barely visited. We spent as much time as we could exploring the region; the nearby river plains, lined with vineyards as far as the eye could see, the rugged mountains (still with vineyards often squeezed into the valleys), the beautiful hillside villages, and along the coast, the bustling Mediterranean towns and colourful buildings and boats.

This was the start of a whole new French adventure for me, and this time with a wonderful man to share it with. The rest of my stay in 2007 was a whirlwind of everything, particularly travelling.