It was that time again for another uni meet-up. Big Hill at Delicate Nobby near Crescent Head was chosen not for the groaning innuendos but the superlative white sand beach stretching from Crescent Head to Point Plomer. Our botanist friends tell us there is a spectacular walk at Limeburner’s Creek and go off to check the access in between arranging a cake break. In fact the whole stay revolves around accommodating sufficient tea/coffee and cake breaks. After all we don’t want to miss valuable cake-eating time. So, on the cake menu we had: Baklava: our Greek friend outdoes himself with probably the best baklava I’ve tasted. Flaky but still crisp layers of pastry, honeyed nuts, chopped pistachios and just the right amount of nectar left on your fingers without dribbling onto your second cleanest shirt! Macadamia ... read more

A shorter version of this piece was featured on ABC 500 word project. url=https://open.abc.net.au/projects/500-words-one-moment-this-yr-22lz1tk/contributions/one-high-moment-27yu9fjhttps://open.abc.net.au/projects/500-words-one-moment-this-yr-22lz1tk/contributions/one-high-moment-27yu9fj We nearly miss the whole walk. The pilot’s garbled message yesterday hadn’t penetrated our holiday brains. ‘It’s a disaster, the bus has left us! Lord Howe is half an hour ahead.’ But the bus returns and we are on the trek, one of Australia’s best day walks. ‘We still need to challenge ourselves as we get older,’ Margaret, one of the walkers tells me. 'Yes, but we also need to know our limits,’ I retort as we scramble up through the forest- covered Mount Gower. Whatever made me think I could do this? Clinging to the cliff face, helmet clad. Why did I listen to a lithe twe... read more

Barcelona – history and history in the making. Swingent cuts to education and health due to the economic crisis in Spain gave rise to a well attended nighttime protest outside city hall. The Christmas decorations and lights lent a surreal touch. The Catalonians are not that happy at propping up the rest of the country. They are campaigning strongly for secession. Historically Catalonia was unified first with Aragon and then Castile. Ferdinand and Isabella had a summer palace here but otherwise did not do much to keep the Catalans happy, introducing a form of the inquisition which drove the Jewish merchants out of the town taking all their money and business acumen with them. Seven centuries later they once again wish for autonomy; flavour of the month in the world today. But the protest we witnessed ... read more

Plastic bags and bottles littered the road and tossed and bubbled in the river. Blue, green, plastic flags snagged on branches brought down by the last flow from the mountains. Icily grey water was not in fact cold, just plastic strewn. Omar, father of 3 boys who lives 20km out of Marrakech and doesn’t see his wife much, was driving us up to the Atlas Mountains through the Ourika valley. This job meant that he might have to sleep in his shared taxi as he might not be able to get home tonight. As we passed the Formula 2 racing track built on former agricultural land he told us about the new developments and new occupations created by the new King to bring in money. As pleasant as Omar is, he is of course beholden to ... read more

And so to Empuriabrava -another beachside experience – a resort town built for the tourists, Floridian in style and aspect. Built 40 years ago on the alluvial flats of the Muga river the canals slice through the land choc-a-bloc with luxury yachts. Millions of Euros locked up in hulls which could possibly staunch the financial wounds of Spain! Built cycleways make easy, flat riding through the town up over a bridge and along dusty roads past apple tree orchards towards the old town of Castello d'Empurias. A ghost town on Sunday – we cycled the narrow streets and alleyways stopping to look at the gothic church built like a cathedral with a massive double granite font and at a local football match until half time was called. At breakfast on our pitch Graeme noticed some ant ... read more