Amsterdam in the fall can be wet, very wet, windy, windy and wet, also cold and damp.......did I mention windy and wet? Amsterdam has a completely disagreeable climate in the fall. Umbrella manufacturers do their product testing in Amsterdam in October. An umbrella that can withstand an Amsterdam October is the "gold standard" against which all umbrellas are measured. Today ( 50-70km/hr wind and rain w/ 9c temp) we saw the streets littered with the debris of infe...

Sydney is the largest city in Australia, one in five Australians live in Sydney. This east coast city is very cosmopolitan and is one of the top "liveable" cities of the world. Sydney enjoys several fabulous features, anyone of which would set it in a special class of cities but when combined they propel this city into a special class of its own. Sydney harbour is a very exciting focal point for the city. From Circular Quay in downtown Sydney the public fleet of ...

We travelled north from Freycinet to Launceston. The terrain varied from ocean vistas to mountainous passes. Tasmanian roads are...........narrow and twisty, and require your complete attention to keep from being a statistic. After several days of driving on these roads I have developed some rules of thumb concerning speed. Generally in Australia, take the safe travel speed and add 50% and that will be the posted speed. It's interesting to note that today on seve...

Less than 200 Km's north of Hobart, on the east coast is the Freycinet park. The park is an isthmus of land which juts down with Oyster Bay to the west and the Southern Ocean to the east. The park is dominated by a range of pink granite mountains (450 meters high). Oyster bay is very protected which allows paddling, swimming and other water activities. We hiked over the mountains to Wine Glass bay which is very picturesque and secluded and has a perfect white sa...

Welcome to a bit of Tas!!! A short 55 minute flight from Melbourne and you land in the 1980s. Hobart is a beautiful small city with water, mountains and an interesting past. We stayed two nights at the Islington hotel on the recommendation of Lynne G.........wow I was reluctant to leave and we have revamped our trip to spend our last night in Tas at the Islington. The Islington is set in a historic building with 21st century additions. The interior spaces flow to...