Blog Europe 2023 Part 2 (Scroll down to read Part 1)

7 July 2023

We went by train from Basel to Milano with no problem boarding at 9:30am.

Milan to Venice did not start well.  Another couple had the same seats booked as ours.

The Italian conductress said it was impossible.

Confronted with the evidence she then said the computer had made a mistake.  Fortunately she found new seats for the other younger couple.

We got to Venice at 6:30pm, grabbed a porter who did a great job organising a taxi to the Hilton Molino Stucky on the island of Guidecca..  The Hilton is the biggest hotel in Venice and is extraordinarily busy.

Before going to Venice I had some research and torn out some articles.  One began by saying “Forget wandering among the canals and canoodling in a gondola.  What you should be doing in Venice is eating.”  If you have read my first blog you could say that we had already adopted this philosophy and I can only agree,’

8 July 2023

Following the advice of her nephew, Angus, we caught a ferry to the island of Lido.  We walked to the typically Italian Beach covered in umbrellas in reserved areas where you pay to stay.  Lido is a wealthy suburb.

That night on the recommendation of Marita Blood we ate dinner at the Corte Sconta, Calle del Pestrin.  A recommendation which proved to be brilliant.  Great food and great ambiance.  I asked the owner, Marco Proletto, to name his favourite restaurants and we ended up eating at two of them.  Book before going, this restaurant is well known in Venice and very popular.

9 July 2023

Thus began our education in Venice.  I woke up to find my computer had frozen.   It was Sunday so we went to the concierge to ask if there was a computer shop in Venice.  He said there was one behind the Teastro de Venice in the Calle de Molino.  Vivienne suggested we go there and the find the shop so we could easily go there on Monday.  Like a good husband I followed her advice 2 hours later we had gone up and down the street with no luck.  We then went into a mobile phone shop and was told by the techie no computer shop here but try the Strata Nova.  Another 1.5 hours no shop.  Like every other tourist wandering around Venice we were discovering GMAPs is very hard to use.  However we had one good piece of luck; it was hunch time and we were 100m from the Vini ds Gigio and 10 minutes later we finally found it and sat down to lunch.

This was a  recommendation by owner of the Corte Sconta,  Another excellent seafood restaurant.

The other good news was that I had plugged in my computer to charge it and it booted immediately.  Somehow it had not been plugged in properly.  And that evening doing the promenade to find a bar in Guidecca what was the first thing we found? A computer shop 300m from the hotel!!!

10 July 2023

Continuing our exploration of Venice we decide to cross of the Guidecca Canal  to Zattere and explore the Dosoduro area of Venice.   We started late; I had woken at 9:30am and had a local bar croissant and cappuccino for breakfast.  Vivienne was hungry so I found using GMAPS a great restaurant  Trattoria Ai Cugnai S.Vio 857.

As we were close we decided to go to the Guggenheim Museum.  Walking around and looking at the very attractive interns and not really into non-representational 20^th century modern art, I asked a young male intern if he had ever read Tom Wolfe’s The Painted Word? 

To my utter amazement he said he had read it 2 weeks ago, thought it was brilliant and was recommending it to all the other interns.  My declining faith in the young generation was suddenly restored. 

11 July 2023

Vivienne said she wanted to explore the Grand Canal and I said sure we can catch a ferry and then did the trip down the Canal.  It was now 12 noon and I had booked lunch at the Antiche Carampane for 1:30.  GMAPS said we were 15 minutes away and 2 hour later we finally found it.  Luckily they had kept a table and Marco’s suggestion proved to be excellent. 

I do not want to describe the trip back but what should have been 45 mins max back took us 2.5 hours; Venice is a tough city to navigate.

12 July 2023

We transferred to the Viking Sea our home for the next 10 days as we cruise from Venice to Athens.  Cruise ships are now banned in the Venice lagoon.  The Viking Sea was moored in Choggia, a 90 minute cruise from Venice.

13 July 2023

We were meant to sail to Slovenia but due to some complication we could not so we spent the day moored in Choggia.  We took the free offer of guided short tour of Venice which was somewhat ironical being we had already spent 4 day there,  The guide, Gabriela, who was not much younger than me was very sprightly and walks at a cracking pace.  Her commentary was first rate.

Vivienne tried to match our stunningly attractive Viking Guide, Annelise, with a very handsome gondolier who was giving Annelise the eye.  Her reply? “My father was a gondolier, so was my uncle, my brother, and my two last boyfriends.  I will never go out with another gondolier.”

14 July 2023

We sailed to the port of Zadar on the Croatian Coast.  The oldest city on the Dalmatian coat it has had a challenging history due to it always finding itself positioned on the border between two opponents in conflict.  The latest was the Homeland War between Croatia/Slovenia and Serbia/Montenegro.  Our guide was excellent and told us why it was all Serbia’ s fault.

15 July 2023

Next port Dubrovnik; easily the most scenic port on the Dalmatian Coast.  We were last here in August 2008 and all I can remember is how crowded it was.  Since then Dubrovnik has survived the terrible siege of the Homeland War in the early 1990s and two years of Covid.  Again the guide gave more history about the Homeland War. 

On the other hand two great decisions by the local government have made Dubrovnik far more enjoyable to visit.  The first was limiting the number of cruise ships to two; previously it allowed up to 10.  The other was to give Game of Thrones rent free use of the city (It is the Kingdom of Lannister).  It has since been used for multiple film & TV productions.

16 July 2023

Kotor was described by Lord Byron as ‘’At the birth of the planet, the most beautiful encounter between land and sea must have been on the Montenegrin coast.’’.  And he is probably right. 

However, the most amazing part of our tour was when the guide explained the prevalence of cats which are everywhere.  Kotor managed to escape the black death that ravaged the rest of Europe killing over 40% of the population due to three reasons.

1.     Excellent sewerage systems built by the Romans.

2.     Excellent fresh water in the surrounding mountains brought in by aqueducts again built by the Romans.

3.     The large number of cats that caught the rats.

 I asked the guide what did Montenegro call the 1990 Balkan War? Her reply is that it was a civil war started by paramilitary forces based in Croatia.  It was started by politicians and was terrible the way it divided families including her own. 

There are always 2 sides to every story.

17 July 2023

It is getting hotter; today it reached 37°C.  In all my travels I have never been to Corfu and it had long been on my bucket list.  For years it was the #1 location for the Brits.  And to be honest we were both less than impressed.  There were too many people using the limited public resources.  

On the other hand once our tour had finished we had a very nice cappuccino and bellini at the Sessions Café on Liston - Eleftherias Street, easily the most attractive street in Corfu.

18 July 2023

Even hotter today 39°C.  Moored at Kalakolon and went to Olympia where the Olympic games started in 776BC.  Now is the site where the Olympic flame is lit every 2 years prior to going to the host country.  Impressive site but our tour guide could have been longer and slower.

19 July 2023

When we woke up this morning and went out onto our balcony, we were met with a convoy of cruise ships.  Six of them (including) ours were mooring today in Santorini harbour.  We were last here in 2006.  I spent 2 days in our cave bedroom in Oia recovering from cellulitis.  And the island was overrun when multiple cruise ships moored in the harbour (like today).

I booked an excursion that described as .”Cities ancient and modern.”  The first part was a visit to Akrotiri: known the Pompeii of the Aegean, a town completely submerged in the massive volcanic eruption of 1600 BC. It is now a major archaeological site and quite fascinating; the sophistication of the locals was  impressive (aqueducts, sewage systems, etc.) 

The second part was a visit to Oia.  We ended up having a great lunch at Pelicans restaurant and while crowed the town was nowhere as bad as it was in 20o6.   On the other hand the drive down to the port to catch the tender back to the ship was a nightmare.  Santorini is spectacular but I would go mad living here.

20 July 2023

We made  it to the final destination Piraeus/Athens.  We had and excursion booked starting at 1:30 and the bus said the temperature outside was 44°C which even for Australians is hot.  We did a quick 10 minute stop at the stadium used for the first Olympic Games held in 1896 and I thought this is insane. Our next stop was a 1.5 hour air conditioned tour of the National Archaeological Museum which is brilliant.

21 July 2023

We transfer to the King George Hotel which is one of the best hotels in Athen and has the prices to match.  We ended up having lunch in its partner hotel the Grande Bretange next door and dinner (1 course appetizer) and treating the day as a rest day which we needed.  Cost of taxi 40 euros including tip,  Cost of hire car organised by cruise 240 euros.

22 July 2023

It now so hot in Athens (39°C) the Acropolis in only open in the morning.  ontains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.  It was rebuilt by Pericles in the Greek Golden Age (460-430BC). It can be seen from everywhere in the city and has to be visited.

So on the advice of the hotel we pre-book tickets and catch a taxi to thce Acropolis at 7am.  We arrive at 7:15 am along with around 500 tourists in the queue.  By 8am there are some 5000 people queueing in a disorderly fashion but we get inside at 8:15.  The climb is quite tricky for those with limited mobility like myself but I made it..   OHS is non-existent and by 9:15 the crowds were overwhelming. 

In the afternoon Vivienne went shopping and I treated my self to a massage.

23 July 2023

Our last full day in Europe and nearly a full rest day.  The King George Hotel does a great buffet with great views and Vivienne noticed the Changing of the Guard outside Parliament House at 10am.  We decided to walk to the Parliament (2 minutes) and see the next change at 11am.  Unfortunately so did 3000 other tourists.  The view from our hotel was better.

I will finish here.  The temperature is predicted to crack 40°C so sightseeing is out and we have done enough anyway.  In conclusion it is very hard to beat the culture and history of Europe and cruises are a great way of exploring it.  (This is a plug for Viking who do a great job).

Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence

website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis 

Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com    mobile: +61-418-222219

Blog Europe 2023 Part 1

Emirates have a new flight that departs from Sydney at 6am and you arrive at London at 8:15pm on the same day.  We went to Rydges on Saturday, ate at 17:30, in bed by 21:00 woke up at 3am walked to the international terminal.  It all went seamlessly, all the luggage was on the carousel and the emirates chauffer service worked efficiently.  We arrived at Virginia and Pierre’s at 9:30pm.

We had one meal at Caro in Chiswick before I left for Bath on Friday for the 60^th reunion of the Old Sulians as graduates of the City of Bath Boys’ School are known.  Reunions can be tricky affairs and this one was organised by Anthony Mayer (my Oxford counterparty) and it all went surprisingly well.  The weather was glorious, Bath is looking in tip-top condition, and the three organised events went off well.  Bandook is highly recommended, the George Inn at Bathampton is as reliable as ever, and I would not return to The Architect at the Empire Hotel.  We took the train there and back.  The train to Bath was meant to be 9 coaches but was actually 5 so as we boarded we were met with announcement that seat reservations for the journey were cancelled.  Somehow we both got a seat but on the return leg we boarded 1^st class and bought the £20 upgrade on the train.  Well worth it

On Monday 28/6 we flew to Amsterdam.  BA were efficient and we arrived on time.   It took us over 2 hours to get to Passport Control.  The queue was enormous; No e-Passport terminals and only 3 controllers.  If you are going to Amsterdam catch the train.  Unfortunately, next year the train terminal undergoing renovations so find out first if you can.  Fortunately, our luggage was still on the carousel and our driver was waiting.

We now joined my sister, Wendy, and Anthony Mayer at the Movenpick hotel next to the Passenger Terminal to catch the Viking cruise to Basel in 2 days.  On Tuesday we started with a Viking walking tour of Amsterdam beginning at the hotel and finishing at the Dam Square. We then caught a tram to the new Van Gogh Museum where Wendy had booked the tickets for the four of us..  Our plan was to have lunch at the museum but the restaurant was undergoing renovations so we skipped lunch and did the Van Gogh highlights tour that was superb.  That night we went to dinner at Hemelse Modder, a 2 Star Michelin restaurant on the Oude Waal; great restaurant and highly recommended.

The next day we transferred to the Viking Sigrun and started our 7 day cruise up the Rhine to Basel.  Each day was similar.  Morning walk around the town, followed by light lunch, nap, talk in the late afternoon, drinks, dinner and some form of entertainment.

29/6/23 Windmills of Kinderdijk:

19 Windmills used to transfer water upwards between two polders.  Originally there were were over 150 which were then replaced by steam engines and then electricity pumps as they were more reliable.  Think Net Zero in reverse.

30/6/23 Cologne

Cologne Cathedral took some 800 years to build and has two stunning towers and great stained glass windows.  We found the “Saturn” window that was sponsored by the department store chain with the eponymous name.  The Kölsh beer brewed here is pretty good.

1/7/23 Koblenz and the Middle Rhine Castles

City at the conjunction of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers.  Famous for the “German Corner” that contains the massive equestrian statue of the Kaiser William I with Otto von Bismarck holding the Holy Roman Crown who together created Germany in 1871.  The other famous statue is the spitting boy (Schāngelbrunnen) in William Horter Platz who is also seen on all the manhole covers.  In the afternoon we then did the famous Middle Rhine Cruise with its 21 castles and the Lorelei Rock.  We finally docked at Rūdesheim where we were treated to a massive firework display at around midnight.  (Annual event lucky to be there.)

2/7/23 Speyer

It is said that the tourist guides have called the Middle Rhine Cruise the ABC cruise which is short for Another Bloody Castle.  You could say Speyer is an ABC town for Another Bloody Cathedral.  That would be doing it a disservice as 8 Holy Roman Emperors are buried here.  This is the town where the Protestant  religion got its name in 1529 where 14 free cities and six princes protested the Diet of Worms that had banned the writings of Martin Luther and branded him a heretic.

3/7/23 Strasbourg

This year Strasburg is currently in France.  Over the past 150 years it has switched between France and Germany four times.  Accordingly, Churchill said it would be the perfect city to host the formation of the EEC and it has come to pass with the various European institutions such as the  European Parliament and the Council of Europe operating in this city.

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame is one of the finest examples of late Gothic architecture in Europe.  It is famous for its Astronomical Clock with sculptures that animate at different times during the day.  It has magnificent stained glass windows including the 5 Emperor Windows and a magnificent rose window.

The other interesting area is the picturesque Petit France where soldiers that had contracted syphilis were sent to recover.

4/7/ 23 Breisach and the Black Forest

Cuckoo clocks, fairy tales, schnapps and Black Forest cake in abundance.  Very picturesque place to live but not so good for the urban man.

5-7/7/23 Basel

This is another impressive town.  On arrival we were transferred to the Movenpick hotel located near to the SSB rail station and also a major tram hub.  I have never seen to many trams in my life.  Using the Basel City Card which we were given meant free travel on the trams which we did for the first two days.  Great restaurants abound: au violon was pretty good. 

Funniest thing was the Tinguely Fountain.  The Kunst Museum is one of the first art museums opened in  1661 and is very impressive.  It has a good bistro for lunch.

We are now at the halfway point of this holiday and I will stop Part I here.  Part 2 begins with the train trip to Venice.

 

                                                                                                                Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com mobile: +61-418-222219

Blog Europe September 2022

I know having been to London and Paris in June that this trip must appear extravagant but it was planned nearly a year ago.  We set off on the 1 September for a month.

On 2 Sept we arrived in Madrid together with all our luggage arrived well done Emirates.

We started by staying at a great hotel near the Prado, the Westin Palace which is perhaps the most famous hotel in Spain.  The first night we had dinner at the hotel’s La Rotonda Restaurant which has a massive stained-glass dome.  The first course of cooked artichokes topped with fried Iberian ham was the best dish we had on the trip.

It is 5-minute walk to Prado Gallery where we spent 4 hours the next day.  It was not too crowded.  Goya Velasquez and El Greco are the big 3 and it would have to be top attraction of any visit to Madrid.

We could not get into the Royal Palace so on the advice of TimeOut we went to Museum of Illusion best business idea I have seen in several years.  Absolutely packed with families; kids having a great time.

On Monday 5 September we caught the fast train to Valencia and I did it again; I left kindle#4 on the train. This time we were booked at the Hotel Palacio Vallier which is a new hotel boutique hotel located in the old city centre and has a great location with great staff.  They contacted the railway station and recovered my kindle which we collected the next morning.  That night we ate at the Orio restaurant on the recommendation of the hotel.  It was the only one open before 8 and served terrific Basque food.    

The next morning after collecting the kindle we went to City of Arts & Sciences visited Hemisphere and saw Blue Ocean Imax.  That night we ate at San Tommaso Italian restaurant again it opens before 8.

The next morning we went to the Saint Nicholas church in morning.  Quite spectacular Saint Nick is the original Santa Claus.   Then we went to the Panorama Restaurant located at the beach for lunch where we had Paella which was invented in Valencia and should only be eaten for lunch.

On Thursday 8 September we went to Valencia Cathedral to see the Holy Grail before we flew to London.  It was Boarding Chaos at Valencia Airport and we left 45 minutes late which meant even greater chaos at London Heathrow.  No operator available to drive the jet bridge for 30 minutes and then we had another a 45-minute wait at the carousal.  Finally got to the Tardis at 6pm to met with announcement QE2 had died.

Interesting time in the UK.  Transition to Charles III happened seamlessly.  He immediately held audience with new PM Liz Truss.  The UK is in for interesting times but you have to be impressed with how democracies handle transitions.  (Except for the USA in 2020;  I can never forgive Trump for throwing Pence under the bus.)

On Saturday I went to the National Gallery where in June I had gone to the Titian exhibition.  This time I managed the first half of the gallery – there are 36 rooms.  The most impressive for me was the Rembrandt room which contains the only equestrian painting done by Rembrandt.

In the afternoon I went to see The Seagull by Chekov starring Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Throne).  I had never seen the play before and it is quite brilliant.  Indira Varma (another GOT performer) who plays an aging actress was stunning and it was a wonderful production.

The next night we all went to see Six, the musical comedy about the six wives of Henry VIII.  Given five of the wives die in the production it was bizarre mix but we had a memorable night.

We wrapped up our stay in London with meals at The Ivy in Richmond, City Barge at Strand on the Green, and Daylesford Organic in Notting Hill.  No question the quality of restaurants in London has risen dramatically.

Next stop was Munich.   Perhaps the wealthiest city in Germany and on Antony Mayer’s suggestion we stayed at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski which is the top hotel in Munich, located on Maximilianstraße which as home to shops like Prada and Gucci is the most expensive street.  The people watching at the hotel was great fun and that night (as we had a 100 euro food & drink credit) we ate at the hotel restaurant. 

Friday morning we went on a tour “In Hitler’s footsteps” which was all about the rise of the Nazi Party to power.  I did not realise that Munich was its spiritual and physical home. When the Allies captured the Nazi head office in Munich Hitler committed suicide 1 hour later.  Great tour and highly recommended.

The next morning we went down to breakfast to discover all the staff and the majority of guests were dressed in the Bavarian national costume.  It turned out it was the first day of  Octoberfest even though it was September 17.  The hotel was full to capacity and the atmosphere was very buzzy.  Using the principle of buying straw hats in winter we decided to visit the Alte Pinakothek which is the Art Gallery of Munich and contains one of the finest collections in Europe.  As an added bonus the Neue Pinakothek, which is the Impressionist gallery in Munich, was shut for renovations and 10 rooms in the Alte were displaying all its masterpieces from Van Gogh to Manet so you got two galleries for the price of one. 

Although every restaurant in town was booked out the hotel managed to get us a booking at Trattoria Seizt.  The previous night we walked in and got a cancellation at the Brenner Opengrill.  Both are great restaurants.

On the Sunday we caught the train to Passau to board the Viking Rinda and sail to Budapest over the next 7 days.  The trip to Passau was a comedy of errors but we did finally get on the boat.  We then started our 7 day cruise to Budapest.  Viking laid on a great trip.  Excellent food and service and highly recommended.  Each stay started with a walking tour followed by a light lunch and excellent dinner.

Passau: we went to the Dachshund Museum which is hilarious.

Linz: third city of Austria, where Johannes Kepler lived, who discovered the three laws of planetary motion, which explains why the earth has seasons and our weather changes.

Wachau Valley; most beautiful part of the cruise.

Krems: Gottweig Abbey home of apricot wine and schnapps.

Vienna: Terrific city.  Evening concert lead by violinist Edua Zadory was fantastic.  Empress Maria Theresa has 16 children her husband had 31.

Bratislava; Capital of Slovakia: Biggest producer of cars per head of population in the world.  All the manufacturers are here.

Budapest: Moored in Pest the flat part. Parliament House has a brilliant tour.  Then moved to Buda (the hilly part) staying at the Hilton in the castle district.  Not quite at the level of the Kempinski but pretty close.   

On the day before our departure, we went to Szentendre, driven by Les Farkash who is an old friend who now spends his time 50/50 between Budapest and Sydney.  It was Les who recommended the Parliament House Tour.  Szentendre is a charming town about 30 mins north of Budapest where we had lunch in the town centre.  Les gave us a great insight in what it is like to live in Hungary which he has now done for six months every year for the past 17 years.

If you are in Budapest staying in the Castle District on the Buda side I highly recommend the Bistro Maison for dinner.  This morning we had a two hour walk around Buda Castle.  Now sitting in the hotel waiting to be picked up by a driver to go to airport. 

And that wraps up the trip.  Europe is going through interesting times but is always worth a visit.  If all goes well we will be back in Sydney on 29 September.

Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence 

website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com 

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis 

Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com 

mobile: +61-418-222219

London-Paris June 2022

This is my first travel blog since June 2019.  Australia went into an international  travel lockdown in March 2020 just before we were off to South America and travel restrictions were finally lifted in April 2022.  We have a trip planned in September visiting Spain and Danube river cruise but then two events sparked a sudden urge to go to Europe.

The first was an invitation to attend the 25^th anniversary of the Sutton Trust from its founder, Sir Peter Lampl on 7 June.  Then the following article appeared in The Australian by Penny Hunter Step-by-Step to Paris.  I now describe it as the piece that launched a thousand trips.

 

And I said to myself “I want a coffee and croissant in Paris.”  So to Peter’s amazement we accepted his invitation and persuaded Virginia (Vivienne’s sister) and Pierre (husband) to join us for five days in Paris.  And on Saturday 4 June we caught the Etihad flight to London.

The dinner at Banqueting House Whitehall was terrific.  Tim Berners-Lee the inventor of the World Wide Web was the keynote speaker.  This was followed the next night with a birthday dinner for Peter at Mosimann’s, London’s premier private dining room.  And again it was a great night.  The next day we set off on the Eurostar for Paris. 

Pierre is half French and spent his childhood in Paris.  He really knows the city.  We were staying in a great location: Hôtel Saint-Louis en l'Isle.  The Ile-St’ Louis is a small island located in the centre of Paris in the middle of the Seine.  It is amazingly quiet at night but the people watching in the afternoon from the cafes located at the west end is great fun.

On the first day we discovered that none of us had ever done a Seine river cruise so like true tourists we took a trip.  Is there a better 1 hour cruise in the world?  I doubt it.  Paris is a stunning city from the river.

We went to two exhibitions: the Musée d'Orsay to see the Impressionists and then the Musée du Luxembourg to see an exhibition about the feminist pioneers in the Arts.  Both were excellent as you would expect.  The French do art well as food.

We had a great meal at La Coupole.  Vivienne found an excellent restaurant on the island: L'Îlot Vache.  Finally, and this is a great tip from Pierre if you are returning to London on the Eurostar leave for the Gare D’Nord go early and have a great meal at the Terminus Nord across from the entrance.

Back in London we caught up with friends.  I managed to catch the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery followed by lunch at the La Brasseria Milanese in Marleybone, The Rock and Rose in Richmond, Tea at Sothebys where I saw Princess Diana’s wedding tiara, and  several pub meals at the City Barge at Strand on the Green.  The food in London is definitely improving. And I never wore my raincoat the whole trip.  The weather was great the whole time.

Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com mobile: +61-418-222219

Travel Blog Europe 2019

We left on Wednesday 5 June and returned Sunday 7 July.  The trip was divided into 5 sections.

1.     London for a week staying with Vivienne's sister's family

2.     Barcelona for 4 days

3.     Cruise Barcelona to Rome

4.     Rome for 4 days.

5.     Cruise around Malta and Sicily.

London

We arrived to be told the weather had been beautiful for the past two weeks.  For us it rained every day; it was cold and bleak; you begin to understand how the UK produced so many great novelists and poets.  On the other hand it was a good time to catch up with old friends.  I supplied the alcohol at two lunches at clubs where I had reciprocal rights via my membership of the Union, University & Schools Club (UUSC).  On Friday we had lunch with old Cambridge friends and their wives at the Oxford & Cambridge Club.  On Tuesday I caught up with old London Business School friends at the East India Club.  Both events were most enjoyable.  We also had meals at Le Vacherin and Annies in Chiswick and Daylesford in Westbourne Grove.  All this eating was great training for the next four weeks.  After we left London had a heatwave.

Barcelona

Mercifully after London the weather was sunny and warm.  It had been at least 17 years since we were last in Barcelona and I had forgotten how attractive a city it is.  We stayed at the Circulo Ecuestre another reciprocal club with the UUSC.  It is conveniently located on the corner of Balmes and Diagonal on the edge of the Eixample neighbourhood of Barcelona, home to many of the iconic Modernista buildings.   The first day we spend wandering that area and finished up with a terrific dinner in the Rambla de Catalyunya in the street café associated with the Hotel Murmuri.  The second day we caught the metro down to the Barri Gothic, visited the cathedral and wandered around the old town and had lunch at the Plaza Reial finishing the afternoon with a stroll down the Ramblas.  In the evening we had dinner at Cheri another great restaurant just around the corner from the club.

On the final day we did a Barcelona Architect tour which was great.  Rafeal was our guide and provided a terrific explanation of what drove Gaudi and the other Modernista architects.  In the afternoon we took a taxi to the Barcelona Cruise terminal (the largest in the Med) and caught our ship to Rome.

The only problems we faced in Barcelona was on the last evening when yours truly slipped off a kerb while fetching Vivienne some breakfast pastries from a gluten-free bakery we found.  I managed to avoid a face plant, landed heavily on my right shoulder and causing it to freeze up.

Cruise Barcelona to Rome. 

This was a 7-day trip aboard the Oceania Riviera.  This was our third trip on Oceania boats which we like because they are small.  The Riviera has 1,200 passengers compared for example to Oasis of the Seas with over 6,500.  We visited 7 ports:

Palma:  The ultimate Spanish tourist trip.  A simple tour of the city centre including the cathedral and free time on the souvenir shopping strip.  This was followed by a 30 minute coach trip out of Palma to tapas and a flamenco show which sounds terrible but was actually not that bad.  I finally felt like a tourist.

Marseille:  We gave Marseille a miss.  Instead we headed into the Luberon of Provence where we had a terrific wine tasting and garden lunch at the Chateau Val Joanis.  Then in the afternoon we visited Aix en Provence, surely one of the most stunning towns in France.

Monaco: Another long but interesting day.  We started by visiting Eze, a hill top down which requires a 30 minute uphill climb via stairs to reach the village.  Great to do once but never again.  Then we went to Nice visiting the old town.  We had been to Nice before and were unimpressed but we never had reached to old town on the port which was actually quite impressive with a lively market and café scene.  Our final visit was to Monaco which was a complete change of scene.  Very elegant but overbuilt.  They made so much money from the casino the government abolished income tax.  The city is much smaller than you think and is a warren of tunnels.  The car parks are filled with Mercedes and Lamborghinis.  Every second store seems to be a shop selling Monaco Gran Prix souvenirs.  We tried to buy a drink in the casino but failed to get the single waiter’s attention after 45 minutes.  Even so our day based in Monaco cost me $992.  Not through gambling or living the high life.   I had put Vivienne and my mobile on Telstra’s $10/day international pass.  Unfortunately, since I have returned I discover it does not apply to Monaco.  

Antibes:  On the tour we visited the Picasso museum and an absinthe shop.  We then spent time wandering around the old town and the market.  Antibes is a very attractive port and certainly well worth a return visit.

Ajaccio:  The major city of Corsica and you would never guess it except for numerous statues, squares and streets named after him the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.  He left Corsica when he was teenager to go to military school and only returned for 3 days afterwards.  Totally understandable.

Livorno/Lucca: This is the gateway to Tuscany which we have visited/stayed on numerous occasions.  Various tours were offered to Florence, Sienna, etc. but we chose Lucca being the shortest coach trip by several hours.  We had been to Lucca before but it is a beautiful city and well worth revisiting.  The Via Fillungo is a great shopping street and the Roman Amphitheatre is an excellent place for a beer and people watching.

Civitavecchia:  This is the port for Rome.  The cruise company could organise a car to our hotel for US$449.  There were some taxis but they refused to take us to the train station.  Instead we took a free bus shuttle to the edge of the port, planning to catch a taxi to the train station.  At the edge of the port the free market was action with a whole host of travel touts.  We ended up catching an 8 seater minivan owned by a Russian entrepreneur direct to our hotel for 70 euros (US$80).  Capitalism is a wonderful system when it is allowed to operate.

Finally the Spa on the cruise boat organised a series of lectures.  I noticed one of them was acupuncture and frozen shoulders.  Trained at Cambridge in the Natural Sciences I was totally cynical but decided to give the Indian doctor proposing the treatment a go.  Not only did he insert the needles but he subsequently attached the needles to electrodes and gave my shoulder electro-stimulation.  I had 4 treatments which cost me US$600.  There was some partial relief.  The doctor said it would take a month to work.

Rome

We arrived at the Hotel Quirinale Sunday morning 23 June.  I had chosen this hotel because earlier in the year we saw the opera A Turk in Italy at the Sydney Opera House and in one of the chorus scenes a newspaper was unfurled with a full-page advert for the hotel.  It was conveniently located in Via Nationale next to the A line metro station, Republica.  Unfortunately, we subsequently discovered the station was closed.  This was after we had purchased a 3-day travel pass. 

Too early to go to our room we walked to the Spanish steps and had lunch at a great restaurant, Alla Rampa in the Piazza Mignanelli.  Beautiful parma ham and melon and beautiful women.  The highlight was when a Lamboughini pulled up, emitted several roars and the out stepped a stunner with an advertising exec complete with pony tail.

The next morning we caught the bus and went to the quirkiest sight in Rome. Hidden in the Palazzo (or Galleria) Spada is the Borromini Perspective. It looks like an imposing colonnade about 37 metres long that opens off the courtyard. In fact, the gallery is less than nine metres long and the ‘life-sized’ statue at the far end is just 60cm high. The forced-perspective illusion was created by Borromini in 1653 with a rising floor, descending ceiling and reducing columns to prove Cardinal Spada’s view of “the misleading image of the world”. To maintain the illusion, you aren’t permitted to enter the colonnade.  The Spada has a 4-room museum which is the right size.  We had a pleasant lunch followed by a nice stroll around the area and caught the bus back to the hotel.

The next day we had a tour booked around the Vatican Museums at 10am.  I had planned to go there by underground walking to Termini station and catching the A line.  When we got to Termini we discovered the A line was shut.  There was also a bus strike and the taxi line outside Termini was over 400 people long.  Fortunately, we looked like tourists; we walked back towards our hotel and got luxury hotel next door to call a taxi that got us to the museum at 9:55am along with 30,000 other tourists.  After visiting a number of sub-galleries we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel realising that we had seen it with our daughters some 30 years ago.  As the public transport system was collapsing we managed to snag a taxi back to the Restaurant Alla Rampa.  In the evening we had a very pleasant meal at the Ambrosia roof-top restaurant in the Hotel Artemedi.

The following day we visited two sights nearby our hotel (I was somewhat off the Rome public transport system) the Baths of Diocletian and the Roman Museum near Termini.  That evening we went to the Baths of Caracalla to see the Tokyo Ballet give an outdoor performance.  The setting was spectacular and I booked us in the front row sets.

The only other event of note is that one of my old crowns fell out over breakfast so now I was toothless, with a partially frozen right shoulder, some 20 kilos lighter with limited saliva and taste buds.

Food and wine cruise tour of Sicily

I had booked this tour before being detected with cancer late last year.  Given the state of my taste buds and saliva glands plus Vivienne being a coeliac I decided to book us on all the architecture tours.

Valleta: Our first night was spent at the luxury hotel Excelsior which was very pleasant.  The next day we did a tour of Valletta which is quite an attractive town.  We finally boarded La Bougainville at 4pm, meeting the Captain who had the film start looks.  The boat was only launched in April and was in terrific nick as you would expect having only done 11 cruises. 

Porto Empedocle: We were travelling in a clockwise direction around Sicily and this was our first port of call.  We completely by passed the port, instead visiting the Valley of the Temples which were quite impressive especially the Temple of Concordia.  Actually Valley is a misnomer it should have been ridge.  After spending 3 hours walking across the ridge we went to the local museum in Agrigento.  This was the pattern for the rest of the trip.  Out on tour in the morning, back in time for a light lunch as the heat built up, swim in the afternoon and read Donna Leon’s latest novel, nap and dress up for dinner.

Trapani: Today we went to ancient Segesta where we saw the theatre and the temple that was not a temple.  It was never finished so it never became a consecrated temple so when the Christians took over the town they did not destroy or build a church on top of it.

Palermo: We spent two days here.  It is a gritty city, reminiscent of Naples.  We saw two spectacular churches with really terrific mosaics.  The first was the Palantine Chapel of the Palazzo Reale, commissioned by King Roger II of the Normans in 1132.  The second was the Cathedral on Monreale located some 20 minutes outside of town.  Our guide told us a joke.  “The Italians drive on the right, the English drive on the left, the Sicilians drive in the shade.”

The second day we spend walking the town and having lunch in the Bisso Bistrot.  I tried to stimulate the economy by buying some shoes but failed.

Taormina: Certainly the highlight of the trip to Sicily.  This is a stunning town built high a ridge clinging to Mount Tauro, overlooking the Bay of Naxos and Mount Etna.  The drive to the town was unbelievable bringing back memories of the Amalfi coast.  The town has great shopping and a number of spectacular buildings and sights including a Greek theatre still in use.  And I bought two pairs of shoes.

Syracuse:  Cicero described it as the most beautiful city in the world.  I beg to differ.  We spent the morning on Ortygia, a small island that was the original centre of Syracuse.  The cathedral located in the stunning Piazza del Duomo is an interesting combination of Greek temple, Byzantine Church, with a Baroque façade.  We also saw the Cavaggio painting in the Church of Santa Lucia.  Archimedes was born here.

Summing up:

A good 5 weeks and now I need a holiday.

I am still cynical about acupuncture.

I tried to gain weight but lost some more.  I have now lost 22.6 kilos.

Donna Leon has jumped the shark and lost it in her latest novel.

Don’t go to England while we are there.  Our next trip to the UK will be around 26 September 2020.

Switch off your mobile if you are in Monaco.





Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com mobile: +61-418-222219

South East Asia 2018

We started in Hong Kong on 1 February arriving at our hotel in Kowloon at 4pm.  We were greeted by the receptionist asking if we were cold and she telling us she was freezing.  We then discovered that Hong Kong was having its coldest February day in some 30 years.  When we went down the hotel’s Chinese restaurant it was packed with locals all wearing the Michelin style puffer jackets.  The hotel was freezing and the only place that was warm was the hotel pub where we had dinner the next night.

We were going on a cruise but part of the deal was 3 free nights in Hong Kong and two free excursions which we took.  The first day was the standard Hong Kong Island trip of Stanley Bay (ie the first thing we saw in Hong Kong was a beach which was perfect for a Sydneysider), Aberdeen and Victoria Peak.  The second day was back out to Lantau Island where the airport is now located.  We went over the mountain, visited the Big Budda Monastery, where I found a thermometer reading 4° Celsius at noon.  We had a vegan lunch there followed by a spectacular cable car ride back over the mountain where we could see the airport and the new 55km bridge to Macao.  The infrastructure in Hong Kong is amazing.  We first went to Hong Kong in May 1975 it took 30 minutes to cross the harbour using the single tunnel and the traffic jams were horrendous.  Now there are six tunnels, 17 bridges and unbelievable road infra structure.  It now takes 5 minutes to cross to the other side even though the city has grown dramatically.

We joined the boat on 4 February and set sail on the 5^th to Ha Long Bay spending the first night at sea.  Our first day in Vietnam consisted of an all day visit to Hanoi.  This is the capital and political centre of Vietnam and the centre of communist power.  The old French quarter is picturesque, the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum typically Stalinesque (against Ho Chi Minh’s wishes who wanted a cremation and simple burial site) but the highlight of the trip was the Hanoi Hilton.  This was jail set up by the French to imprison mainly political prisoners during their 100 years of occupation complete with a working guillotine.  The French left in 1954 following their defeat at Dien Phen Phu.  The jail was then used to imprison American pilots shot down during the American war 1964-73.  The (North) Vietnamese maintain the prisoners were treated humanely but the guides in the South subsequently said this was propaganda.  However the photographs and stories tell a fascinating if horrific story.  As one US army officer who we met on the cruise later said that after 1 week there would be nothing left to bomb in North Vietnam so what the USA dropped the bombs on for the next 9 years was questionable but drop them they did. 

What was interesting were the guides.  The Hanoi guide was around 40, highly principled and a member of the Communist Party (like 3% of the population).  However when he said the most important thing in life was money and the second who you know (the most important was the policeman who would get any charges against you dismissed, the second was the doctor who would enable you to jump the medical queues, the third was the local political communist party leader who could give you good contracts) we began to understand his disenchantment compounded when he said Vietnam needed more than one political party.  Every male guide said the biggest problem in Vietnam was the corruption.

The next day was a boat trip through Ha Long Bay.  Ever since I saw Caroline DeNeuve sailing through the bay in the film “Indochine” this has been a dream of mine and I was not disappointed.  It is a spectacular sight with 1969 limestone islands in an amazing range of shapes and sizes.

The next day we berthed in Da Nang and we did another all-day trip to Hue.   This was formally the capital of Vietnam and does contain a large fort.  Most of it was destroyed, particularly after its capture by the Viet Cong during the 1968 Tet offensive followed by the recapture by the Americans.  By now we were beginning to realise that we had arrived just before the beginning to the New Year or Tet holidays due to start on Feb 16.  The sidewalks were filled with stalls selling kumquat bushes, sunflowers and yellow chrysanthemums.  The girls were dressed to the nines looking spectacularly beautiful in long dresses and the streets were gradually emptying as people were leaving the cities to visit their families in the country side.  What was impressive in Hue was its first university, the Temple of Learning.  Somehow much of it had been preserved.

We then did a stop in Nha Trang which is a beach and a pretty grotty market but as we just missed the transit bus back to the ship we did have good massage (30 minutes for $13).  Nha Trang is being regularly advertised in the travel sections of the Sydney weekend newspapers (pay 4 nights & stay for 7) but seriously unless you can sit on a beach for 6 days there is little else to do.

The next day we were berthed on in the centre of Saigon or Ho Chi Minh city.  Luckily were on a smaller cruise chip (640 passengers or 30,000 tonnes) so we could sail up the river unlike many of the larger boats that have to dock some two hours outside of Saigon.

The first day we did a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Viet Cong and Americans fought an unbelievable battle of wits.  The tunnels stretch for some 250 km.  During the day the Viet Cong hid in the tunnels and the Americans would use dogs to sniff out the hiding places.  If the dogs started barking the Americans would send down small soldiers (the tunnels were small and at 3 levels) of whom only 25% would return or use gas to force them out.  The Viet Cong would emerge at night to fight the Americans, set new booby traps, lay down stuff to distract the dogs etc.  First they used chilli peppers to distract the dogs but that signalled to the Americans that the tunnel was being used.  So the Viet Cong then broke into US camps and stole & spread hamburger meat which dogs finding the smell familiar thought that Americans were in the tunnel and not Viet Cong.  The tunnels are very narrow and there is size limit on going down which I unfortunately exceeded.

The second day in Saigon we did a city tour.  The old South Vietnamese Presidential Palace which is now named the Reunification Palace is easily the most impressive building.  It contains the usual reception and dining rooms upstairs and the communications and escape tunnels downstairs.  In the garden are replicas of the two tanks that crashed though the gates and ended the civil war in 1975 where the South Vietnamese President ceded power to the tank commander.  By now most of the 7 million motor bikes that generally reside in Saigon had now gone out to family homes based in the Mekong Delta.  We also had our first Vietnamese joke:

Motorcyclist goes though a red light and is stopped by a policeman.

Policeman asks, “Didn’t you see the red light?”

Motorcyclist replies, “Yes but I did not see you!”

The accident rate on the bikes is very high and given the way they drive not surprising.  Saigon in particular reminds one of New Delhi.

We then had day at sea, a day in Singapore, followed by a day at sea.  On the days at sea we typically had a bridge lesson in the morning followed by bridge in the afternoon.  The lessons were good; unfortunately not matched by our play.

It had been at least 15 years since I had been in Singapore.  The city is even cleaner now.  Given the proximity to the Chinese New Year we decided to go to Chinatown on the MRT.  It was buzzing with people getting ready for the 10 day holiday. Several older Singaporeans approached us and as soon as they discovered we were Australian told us they had units on the Gold Coast and how unfair it was for Julia Gillard to increase the taxes on the rental.  We then a had a stroll through Clarke Quay and up to Raffles for the mandatory Singapore Sling.  Unfortunately, Raffles is being renovated and so we ended having tapas at the Luke Mangan pub across the road.

Our next stop was the Thai island of Koh Samui where we did a half day trip visiting various honey pots (waterfall, coconut plantation, rubber plantation, etc.)  The highlight was a visit to an elephant sanctuary where Vivienne had a foot massage from an elephant. 

Finally we reached the end of cruise in Bangkok.  Again the benefit of the smaller boat meant we could go up the river and moor in the city as in Saigon.  We did an interesting tour of the river and canals.  The river is full of catfish that you feed with bread.  That night we had a great meal with an old friend Peter Thomas who then took us the next day to the former Thai capital Ayutthaya.  We visited the summer palace of Rama IV which was very impressive.   We hired a golf cart and Vivienne drove use around much to the amazement of the rest of visitors who would expect one of the males to be driving.  For lunch we had what I can only describe as catfish crumble.  Pieces of catfish are put into boiling oil which causes to pop (like popcorn) and turn into fishy crumble.  It was very good.

In my last cruise blog I described cruising as coach tours for rich people.  You go to a lot of places you would not go but you don’t really get inside each stop.  On the other hand you do get a feel and that can be enough.  I would put Vietnam in that category – I am glad I went but there is no need to return.

Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com mobile: +61-418-222219

India 2017 November 5-21

In early 2016 we visited India for the first time and you can read that travel blog here.  I must confess that I did not think we would ever go back.  However at a veteran's lunch at the UUSC in May 2017 I met Mary Rossi who is Australia’s #1 luxury travel specialist.  She told me she had been on luxury tours to over 70 locations so I naturally asked her which place would she put top of her list.  I was surprised when she replied Rajasthan but that night I said to my wife guess where we are going.  Martin Randall Tours had “Painted Palaces of Rajasthan Tour” in November 2017 and as we had enjoyed their previous tour I made the booking.  We flew Air India again (A brand new 787 Dreamliner for you skeptics) direct to Delhi.  The Indian Met office has an AQI (Air Quality Index) ranging from 0 (perfect) to 500 (unbreathable) and the reading for Delhi was 487.  I have been in Beijing in December but this was really bad.  It looked like a dense fog out of the window and the schools were all closed.  Luckily all that was planned for Delhi was a visit to the National Museum’s impressive and well-displayed collection of miniature paintings where we were introduced to the Mughal and Rajput traditions.

We were a band of 11 travellers and 3 guides: Caroline Simpson, who was an excellent tour manager, Dr Giles Tillotson, the mandatory academic who was on our previous trip, and Narendra Singh who was the mandatory Indian guide and who proved invaluable in negotiating visits to places banned to tourist groups.

Our first trip was flying to Jodhpur.  Unfortunately because of the pollution one runway was closed and all international flights were given priority meant we sat for 2.5 hours in the plane on the runway before finally arriving at Hotel RAAS in Jodhpur, including a rickshaw ride for the final 10 minutes.  The hotel was terrific and had a magnificent views of the Mehrangarh Fort. Described by Kipling as the ‘work of angels, fairies and giants’, it was built in 1459 and has some of the most imposing fortifications in the world. The outlook of the Fort is over the buildings of the lively Old City painted in a variety of blues, originally the colour denoting the homes of Brahmins.  A Bollywood movie was being made at the fort with costumed extras, horses, and camels wandering around.  The piece de resistance was a dinner outside in the Chokelao Garden of the Fort followed by a 15 minute firework display.  I like travelling 5 star.

After two nights in Jodhpur we took the coach to Naguar, stopping at Mandore (cenotaphs) and Khimsar Fort for lunch on the way.  At Naguar we stayed at the Ranvas Hotel for two nights which is located inside the amazing Ahhichatragarh Fort.  (Ahhi = cobra, chatra = umbrella, garh = fort or the Fort of the hooded cobra),  The Fort is huge and Giles has been a major force in getting the Fort renovated.  Again the highlight of the stay was a dinner in the Bakht Singh Courtyard.  10 men had spent 2 hours each lighting 1000 oil lamps.  It made for a truly impressive and unforgettable dinner spectacle.

Then it was on to Bikaner, home of the Narenda Bhawan hotel and Junagarh Fort.  On the way there we stopped at the Karni Mata Temple.  The temple is famous for the approximately 25,000 black rats that live, and are revered in, the temple. You could say at this point our group divided.  Three of the tourists including yours truly did the tour in bare feet gingerly stepping over the rats while the other eight, including my wife, stopped at the entrance and immediately headed for nearest exit.

By now I was now getting used to 5 star hotels and decided that eating in their courtyards on our occasional free nights was the way to go.  Our first stop in Bikaner was the Sadul Singh museum.  Gradually it began to dawn on methat Rajasthan suffered from a slight wealth inequality.  The population is Rajasthan is around 75 million.  It was formed by combining 19 Rajput or Maharajah principalities.  Each of the Rajput families comprise say 100 people at most.  So we are not talking about the top 1% but the top 0.003% owing say over 50% of the wealth.  From the museums we could see the top 0.003% really lived the life of Riley.  Polo, annual trips to London, Rolls Royce cars by the dozen, private planes, etc.  Still as most of the 5 star hotels are conversions from their palaces why worry.

The Junagadh Fort dates from 1588, it displays a variety of painting styles, from traditional Rajput motifs to early 20th-cent. depictions of trains. The Monsoon Palace has some highly unusual paintings of rain clouds and lightning, while the Diwan-i-Khas, the hall of private audience, is profusely decorated with gold leaf.  Again we were among the 1% of tourists especially allowed to go to the Phool Mahal, the oldest part of the palace..

After two days in Bikarner we headed to Mandawa where we some painted havelis (merchants’ mansions), which go back to the 18th century. We stayed outside Mandawa in the Vivaana hotel which is another meticulously restored Haveli.  Not quite a palace but well on the way.

We then had a four-hour coach journey to Jaipur driving through the scenic Aravalli range.. First we stopped outside of Jaipur at the dramatically located site of Galta outside features temples, leisure pavilions, sacred water spring and tanks all of which are falling into disrepair and becoming home to 100s of monkeys.  It was a steep climb to the top so as my hip was playing up so I took a motorcycle taxi up and down.  Best 300 rupiahs (A$7.50) I ever invested.  Jaipur is known at the Pink city. 

We stayed at the Trident Hotel in Jaipur where for the first time in 10 days we encountered other tourist groups.  However I will always have a soft spot for this hotel because on my birthday (16 November) when I returned to my room in the evening it was filled with balloons and towels folded into the shapes of swans and elephants. 

We visited the City Palace starting with the Jantar Mantar, the 1730s observatory is equipped with massive astronomical instruments that are astonishingly accurate. Again a massive palace with a terrific art gallery.  The following day we went outside Jaipur to Amer and visited the 18th-cent. Amber Palace, again huge, again at the top of the hill, and with mirrored chambers, latticed windows, and carved alabaster.  For lunch we went out in the country  to Dera Amer where not only were we met by elephants we had what was the best curry of the trip.  Even Narendra gave it the thumbs up.  We finished back in Amer at the Anokhi Museum where Vivienne did some serious shopping.

We flew back to Delhi the next day.  Thankfully the AQI was down to around 200 so the flight was on time the air partially breathable. 

In summary, unbelievable income equality but the palaces are magnificent.  Giles did a great job with his lectures and again the Martin Randall organisation is superb and their tours are highly recommended.  We did eat a lot of curries but I managed to sneak in two pizzas and a terrific duck ravioli at the Leela Ambiance cooked by a wonderful chef Leidy Liz Levitan.  My tip for India is 5 star or nothing.  For some reason I was one of the few on the trip who did not suffer from Delhi Belly but then any bugs in my system would be poisoned by the alcohol.

Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com mobile: +61-418-222219