Col and Lyn

A final posting to wrap up our autumn trip. Whilst most would know that we are now all safely home and that we had a wonderful time somethign about the wonders of the Island of Shikoku are needed to complete our story. From Okayama we went by ferry to Naoshima (the Art Island) a small island in the Seto Inland Sea. An inspired project, funded by the Fukutake family (publishers of Benesse educational materials), took an island with diminishing industry and aging population and created the Benesse Art site. This produced an utterly new type of space and experience by setting contemporary art and architecture amidst the beauty of nature and inside unused village houses. We visited the main sites including Chichu Art Museum, where "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet, works by James Turrell and Walter ... read more

Korean Air to Seoul and a good night's rest at a transit hotel meant we arrived full of beans at 11am at Komatsu airport – ready to explore. Hide-san, our guide, met us and we headed to Kanazawa after a Sushi Train lunch along the way. It was amazing how hunger forced so many to become expert with chopsticks. Pam and the rest watched in awe as Mike wielded them like an expert! Ian and Brian were bitterly disappointed there were no tourist souvenir shops on the first day – not even at the Gold Leaf Museum - not sure Ros and Gail agreed. The Utatsuyama Craft Workshop, a post graduate centre for 31 Japanese and international students, was Lyn's special treat for the day. They live and study there for up to 3 years with ... read more

At the foot of the Juliaen Prealps, on Via Augustus that connected Aquileia with Norienna (Austria), Fruili is a series of fortified towns dating from Roman times. Lombards came from Norway through the central plains of Europe in the 5th century, settled and controlled the area until its was annexed to the Republic of Venica in 1420, fell under Austrian rule in 1798, belonged to France for a short time and oscillated between Austria & Italy until annexed by Italy in 1866. What about Yugoslavia, just over the lesser hills? The people mostly speak their own language, Fruileano, rather than Italian and many don't move far from the village in which they were born. That is, apart from all those Fruili folks who emigrated to Australia in the 60's. Our friends live in Gemona del Fruili ... read more

I've listed a few things I found in the week or so we spent in Greece on our way to Italy - 1. In half an hour of arriving I fell in love again with the Greece I remembered from 30 yrs ago! It only took some friendly taxi drivers, lots laid back people and the beautiful Acropolis and I was hooked. Of course the friendly carefree mood I love is perhaps the country's biggest problem as they struggle with a huge deficit and await an EU bailout. 2. The statues are all still mainly headless- except for a lucky few like the “Hermes” and “The Charioteer of Delphi” which were buried unbroken and found intact centuries later. 3. Lord Elgin is not popular! The new museum is ready and waiting for the Parthenon friezes to ... read more

When we were staying in Kemer 9 further back along the coast towards Antalya) 2 years ago, we went by bus to Aspendos to see an opera being performed in one of the largest and best preserved Roman theatres still in use today. It has seating for 15000 people and we took our cushions as the Romans used to do to sit comfortably on the hard seats. We noticed we were the only ones on the bus with cushions as the others knew we were actually going to a replica theatre nearby called the new Aspendos (now Troy), not for opera but a Turkish version of River Dance. Classic case of confusion caused by language difficulties! Well we finally made it, but unfortunately the opera and ballet don't start until June. On our way to Cappadocia ... read more