With luggage stowed in the back of the wagon I was on the road early for the 8 hour haul down to Melbourne. Gene had provided directions that would have seen me on the highway back to Sydney rather than deliver me safely to his place in South Melbourne. Was it coincidence then that he phoned me on the road to explain that he had left Melbourne, not for Sydney but to spend the weekend in Torquay with a couple of friends. Sam entered the conversation and gave me some simple instructions to find Geelong where they would meet me, an [View Full Entry]

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Bags packed, my time in Europe was up. It was snowing below 1000m and much too cold for my thin summer clothes, my much maligned extremities were crying out for warmth. A last minute baggage check revealed I was massively overweight! According to Qantas regulations, some 300 Euro overweight. This ‘surfboard friendly’ airline has an allowance of 20kg when travelling economy class Europe to Australia. They check surfboards in as normal luggage and whack you with a 30 Euro surcharge for every 1kg over your 20kg limit. Although I had left some heavier items to be posted across at a lat [View Full Entry]

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What I predicted would be an easy days journey from Lisbon down to Cadiz on the South coast of Spain instead turned into an arduous two days of travel torture as I was forced to hunt down services that either didn’t run on weekends or is some cases, didn’t run at all. Somehow I found myself on a ferry chugging across the Portuguese border and into Spain. This was the ‘direct route’ that I had presumed existed. The alternative was a long train haul across to Seville then connect with a south bound train to Cadiz. Instead I found myself in [View Full Entry]

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Another overnight connection from San Sebastian to Lisbon beckoned. My surfboard is becoming a familiar bed partner…much to the amusement of my three Chilean companions who I found sharing my compartment. Lisbon arrived nice and warm at last I thought. I found a bus across the other side of town to Peniche, a well known surf destination about 1 ½ hrs up the coast. I had arranged to stay at a camp ground on a help/exchange basis but unfortunately there was no work for me as the season had just ended which struck me as a little strange particularly as the [View Full Entry]

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I left France on another cold morning, leaving the contest at semi-finals stage as the surf dropped right off. Kelly Slater exited in round 4. He was unlucky, snapping his board and couldn't find a second good wave. Still, his surfing and ability still sands out and the spectators just love him. Mick Fanning eventually went on to win the event and I suspect he has the world title firmly in his grasp now, notwithstanding disaster. They say San Sebastian is the cultural centre of the Basque region and I know for sure that among it's 180,000 odd inhabitants, there are [View Full Entry]

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I descended upon France like a D-Day Landing, so eager was I to arrive at the beaches of Hossegor after a four month surfing abstinence. Surfboard in tow, I navigated my way by rail up to Paris, through the metro system and across town, rushing to make my connection with the outbound overnighter to Bayonne. It was a miracle that I actually found it and with only a few minutes to spare. "Monsuier! Si vous plait" the conductor cried as I flew past in search of my carriage. You see, it's not enough just finding the right train here, you also [View Full Entry]

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Strangely I didn't see a single Venetian Blind in Venice, although I did see a blind Venetian. Travelling up on the train I saw some news about Pavarotti. He had died the previous day. I enquired as to where his home was in Italy? In Modena, our train was just passing by. The pall bearers had better be in training. Venice is a surreal place. Noisy cars are replaced on the cities streets by hoards of noisy people. Vaporettos or water taxi's ply the cities maze of canals. You have to keep reminding yourself that its a city like any other [View Full Entry]

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Pleasantly I found the Italians far more affable than the Greeks. Better value too. My train was in no hurry to arrive in Rome as it spilled its passengers out onto the terminal at 6pm. I had been on the go 36 hrs non-stop. Thankfully, my hotel was close by. The very beautiful and very friendly staff could only give me a bed for one night. "That's fine" I managed to smile back. "We'll sort something out tomorrow". All I wanted to do was rest, in a bed, lying down. A bed that stayed put and didn't leave your hips bruised [View Full Entry]

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Greece has come a long way since Nana Miskouri, however it seemed no less disappointing to me. I'm also aware it's been a couple of months since I travelled there. I've had time to reflect and so I've moderated my thoughts. Overpriced, overvalued, rude arrogant shopkeepers and business people alike. Shady characters assemble at prime vantage points, prowling upon the unwary. Of course this is a generalisation and since then I've come to realise that much of Europe is "overpriced", or lets just say expensive to avoid any controversy. In hindsight, I did meet a couple of helpful and friendly [View Full Entry]

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Life has been too easy for too long. I met a black cat in a park and we lay together, strangely at peace as throngs of tourists surged past. We were lying in the grounds of Topkapi Palace with nothing but the clear blue sky above. I had walked myself half to death, 5 1/2 hours in the succocating heat. The previous night I thought I might stop breathing altogether, trapped in a basement dorm with two non-descript strangers. It had been a long day indeed. With only a single nights reprieve in the past three from a succession of Bavarian [View Full Entry]

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