Santos is the largest port in S.America and has developed because of the exports of coffee, sugar cane and orange juice. The port is ugly as most ports are and the main town is full of tower blocks so not that pretty either. There are a few colonial buildings left between the sprawling high rises. It's best feature is the very long beach with greenery and trees along the waterfront, but surprisingly few bars and restaurants. Apparently the locals spend all day on the beach whenever they can. We went to the Botanical Gardens which contain a nice selection of all the trees from the rain forest. The orchidarium was very disappointing with very few in flower. Also saw a few cages with some wild life but not too exciting. The next "highlight" was the Football ... read more

For a first time visit we decided a guide and driver were essential and we chose BeFree Tours run by Marcelo who was himself the guide and driver for the day. We set off early about 8.15am to get to Christ the Redeemer statue before the crowds. It was already hot and humid. A tram takes you up to the base of the statue. Good to pre buy the tickets to make sure of a place when you want. We had 9am tickets but got onto the 8.40am tram. There is a lift at the top but unless you are disabled you might as well use the steps and avoid a queue as it is only a short distance. It was already very busy but we managed to get the usual photo of the 38 metre ... read more

We had not been on a long train journey since we went from N to S of France when the kids were small but that was only one night. The Indian-Pacific we were about to embark on was 3 nights 4 days to get from Sydney to Perth. We checked in at Sydney Central station which was easy enough. The info had told us to be there 2 hours beforehand which we duly did but then spent the time sitting on the platform. We were told there would be a welcome party an hour before boarding but a bottle of Sarsaparilla was all that materialised. This did not bode well. We were glad we had bought a sandwich on the way. However, at 2pm we were allowed to board and settle in. Thank heaven we were ... read more

Carol Kline, the famous gardener boarded our boat and gave us a talk after dinner. Today she also met us in the Keukenhof Gardens to give us an introduction to the place and later we had a Q & A session before the final dinner. The Keukenhof Gardens are 45 minutes drive outside Amsterdam and they are huge. Every year they plant over 7 million bulbs and have several small Inspiration gardens based on a different theme each year. This year the theme was Love. The Garden is only open for 8 weeks so do not miss it if ever you come to Amsterdam when the Gardens are open. My photos do not do the place justice. It is a profusion of colour and the most fabulous tulips you have ever seen. They also grow hyacinths, ... read more

Operation Market Garden was a huge and risky bid for the allies to try and end WW2 by crossing over the bridge at Arnhem, bypassing the Siegfried line and surprising the enemy troops. However it all went disastrously wrong and many airmen lost their lives while others were hidden by the Dutch resistance and later helped to escape. It began with a massive parachute drop 6 miles away from the bridge by the 1st Airborne Division supported by Polish troops as well as some Americans and Canadians. They also dropped some guns and ammunition but some of these dropped in enemy territory. Little did they know that the Germans were heavily fortified with guns and tanks and they didn't have a chance. We went to the Museum which was Hartenstein house, which was used as the ... read more