Jousting, as it is practised in Sete originates, so the records say, from ancient marine sport played by Mediterranean fisherman, and first reported in Egypt in some 2000 BC. It was recorded as being played in SETE in the C11th and the sport was given Royal Approval in 1664 when this current tournament commenced. It's a game that sort of makes a mockery of Rugby, which is, by comparison, a new comer on the block, and cricket which at best is some 240 years old. Rugby, though, is also a favourite sport of the province and its played with similar gusto. The French forwards come from this area, so I understand. The lances are about 2" in diameter, tipped with a stainless steel three pronged claws which on impact gouges the opponent's wooden shields to get ... read more

Antibes We left Cinque Terre from the car park up the hill, this time toward Monterosso and across to the Autostrasse following the coast line and seeing the villages tucked away on the range, the olive orchards that crowd the road with great orange nets strung beneath them to catch the olives when they are picked-shaken (?) from the trees and then once on the Autostrasse away at high speed to France. We were doing 130 kph and cars were flying past us! Again it was a highway of classical Italian proportion; carved through the mountains and strung above the valleys. The road past the back of Monaco was high on the range and from the range we looked down over the coast. We thought there were massive tourist ships in port in one area ... read more

Venice. Venice is Venice is Venice - aptly described by a historian in the C17th as a place where people tethered their boats to their houses where ordinary people would tether their animals. The city became a trading centre and it wealth expanded exponentially as it trade routes and influences grew. Because of the wealth, it was able to divert that wealth to explore music, architecture, the crafts and it must have been a most remarkable city in its heyday. From the time that Rodger and Jan and Helen and Di were here last, they all said it was now much much busier. The canals were packed, and the narrow walkways crowded. Massive Ocean liners are now parked at the end of the Grand Canal, and day tourists pack the city so the place has lost, ... read more

We missed the new highway to Zagreb and traveled on the A1, which was the old route. It took us through some gorgeous valleys and past the Purecko lakes, which the road follows for over 20 km and where we stopped for a quick morning tea. The weather was so calm that the lakes were like mirrors and the mountains were reflected in the surface of the lakes as we drove along. The valleys were sprinkled with small villages half hidden in the green of the trees; all red roofed, three story high Croatian houses with a Swiss/Austrian touch, and their window boxes were overflowing with red, orange and purple flowers. Their roofs had that Swiss/Austrian/mountain-German tilt on the gables. Once through the main towns, there seemed to be thousands of hectares of trees. When ... read more

As we arrived in Omis the mountain ranges were just behind the town and a single para-glider floated on the air currents along the range above the town. As we moored at the wharf alongside fishing boats, a wedding celebration was taking place for the captain of a fishing boat moored at the wharf, who was travelling in a stretched limo to the wharf. At the wharf, a group of family and guests marched in singing obviously raucous songs. Then in response to this series of songs, the bridegroom and his best man popped their heads out of the sunroof on the limo, and burst into a rousing song. The girls asked all the questions from the family members, who were all dressed to the nines, and were told that the bride would not appear until ... read more