Kymbolix

At 8 we meet a bus for the harbour of Rodos. Here we get on the 2 hour ferry to the Dodecanese island, Symi. First stop, for a look around is at Panormitis. Their museum here indicates the significance of their resistance to the Nazi regime during WW2. It's in a beautiful enclosed and protected harbour. We leave at midday for the main harbour of Symi in the north east of the island. This whole area is yachting heaven - and some mouth-watering craft sit in the harbour to watch. There are yachts going in all directions, to Turkey, along the coast and other islands. Coming home a German lady gives us her spare map of Symi which is fascinating. I would definitely want a GPS around here. The sun's direction as we leave the harbour ... read more

Just can't say "no" to these enthusiastic young Americans. Today our guide is Sadie, with the Fat Tires again. We walk 15 minutes from the hotel to meet at their headquarters. We ride through Paris (I think it's good that it's Sunday morning.) At the RER station we leap on with bikes and go to Versailles. Negotiating the traffic to the palace and grounds is more challenging - and fun. After a long ride through the grounds (it's on 2000 hectares) we stop at the bottom of the lake crucifix for a picnic lunch. Then we ride to the palace for the tour. A brilliant experience. I'm just grateful it wasn't peak tourist season - not the place for claustrophobes. It wasn't bothering me but I saw a few perplexed by the scale of things. The ... read more

Finally got away after changing our flight from last Saturday. Travel with MAS was pretty uneventful - arrived in CDG-Paris after 24 hours in transit (via K.L.) Took the RER from the airport, then, after a coffee and a croissant, we take a taxi from Gare du Nord. We arrive at the address on our hotel printout only to find it's a (closed) orthodontist - even though Jo might have been glad of it, it didn't offer any chance of accommodation. Kindly the taxi drive rang the hotel (pleasant place it turned out - Hotel Yllen Eiffel) and we find the number is wrong by one digit which means a drive around the block and back down the same street.... read more

It was a long day and night - left Les Jardins Eiffel at 8:45 am and finally took off at 1pm. I guess it takes a while to cover 13,000 km. So we have the day in Singapore - Starting out with a very civilised relax in the QANTAS lounge before we hit the city. Scheduled to move on at 11 tonight... Keep watching the space - have a lot of gaps to fill in when we get home...... read more

On Sunday we all meet at the other hotel for a breakfast, again sponsored by Jean-Paul and Janine who are as ever, unbelievably hospitable. Afterwards some guests depart back to France and other parts while a number of us go with our hosts to stay in Lavey. Juliane and Ueli take us to Lavey les Bains which is a natural thermal pool system turned into an extensive playground for the steamed, frozen and water-logged. Just stunning, to visit the various steam rooms, spa tubs, heated pools with anticyclonic whirlpools, and a giant mushroom that rains hot water. To sit in steaming hot natural water from underground while being rained on and watching snow fall on the peaks adjacent is heavenly. We stayed until we were all pink and wrinkly, or our time ran out... That night, ... read more