Favourite places we’ve visited: The World’s Largest Virtual Solar System Drive

As mentioned previously, we did at least two of the drives which incorporate the World's Largest Virtual Solar System Drive. We joined one of the drives on the Mitchell Highway at Narrabri. Just south of the town, there is a truck-stop/picnic area with a 3D model of Neptune to which it was attached. We were on the outskirts of the giant Solar System – but Pluto was hundreds of kilometres back up the highway towards Moree. Driving towards Coonabarabran, we were nearing the centre: the Sun.

The drive works something like this. Imagine that the dome of the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Siding Spring, Coonabarabran is a scale model of the sun. Someone, in their impressive imagination, created scale models of all of the planets (even Pluto) at the scale distances along the roads leading away from Siding Spring. A three-dimensional scale model of each planet is mounted on a gigantic billboard containing information about that planet on it. So, Mercury was just down the driveway road from the observatory, and Venus further along than that. Earth was almost at the main road and Mars just beyond the intersection. The model of Jupiter was simply enormous, and located just before the road entered Coonabarabran.

At this point, there are five versions of the model – each spread out along one of the five main roads leading away from Coonabarabran so that, for example, Pluto is located to the north between Narrabri and Moree, to the east near Merriwa, and to the south in Dubbo. There are several Saturns – hugely spectacular with the rings, of course – located a few kilometres away from town along each of the main roads. Neptune and Uranus much further away down the highway. Pluto, hundreds of kilometres away in Dubbo, was a tiny hemisphere of grey attached to a gigantic board in the carpark of the Tourist Information Centre. The Bookworm, who loves space, loved the drive. So did the rest of us. Tracking down each planet and trying to guess how long it would take to reach the next one was a fun way to pass the time with the kids in the car.

The Solar System Drive has to be one of the more unusual sights we have seen on holidays, but it was terrific fun! The kids loved it as we stopped at each planet to read the brief information and marvel over the relative sizes and distances represented. And it was an interesting way to pass the time on some very long driving. I’m glad that they stopped with Pluto. It was hard enough trying to comprehend the enormity and emptiness of the Solar System without having to stretch my brain around distances across the Universe! It wouldn’t have fit, anyway.

Favourite places we've visited: Papeete, Tahiti

Tahiti is a stereotypical South Pacific island (part of a larger group, actually) and despite the cliches associated with such destinations it is truly beautiful. Of course, we stayed in a resort - there's not much else for families - and despite this being an uncommon experience (for us) we had a marvellous time. Still, we wouldn't do it everywhere, or every holiday - but a few days here and there are very welcome.

So what was it about Papeete that we really liked? Well, a couple of things. Firstly, for the kids (mostly) each afternoon our resort had fish feeding in the resort lagoon. One of the resort employees would bring down a bucket load of fish food to attract the amazing tropical fish close to the shore where everyone could easily see them. Anyone could take part - the guy in charge would hand out fish food and anyone could get into the lagoon or feed the fish from the shore. Seeing the fish was amazing, and watching the reaction of the kids was priceless.

The second highlight of Papeete was a mode of transport called locally, Le Truck. For the uninitiated, most Pacific nations are not well off, despite the luxury resorts literally strung along their coastlines. French Polynesia is no exception. Many visitors to these idyllic locations never actually leave the resort, except to go to the airport on their return journey. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to find that the towns where the locals live are not at all like the resorts themselves. Papeete is, well, lived in. A bit run down, very casual and makeshift in parts, but well loved by the locals.

For those, like us, whose resorts are on the outskirts of Papeete, Le Truck is the recommended public transport for getting into town and back again. With Le Truck, what you imagine is what you get - they haven't dressed it up with a misleading name. It is a truck, with an enclosed area behind the driver's cabin which has bench seats running down the length of the vehicle along either side, and down the middle. It costs the same no matter where you get on or off - I can't remember how much, but it wasn't much. There are no seatbelts. If you travel with an infant car seat, it would be useless to have it with you on Le Truck!

We managed to get on it alright - it was pointing in the right direction. You pay the driver through the window (or his friend in the passenger seat) and simply get on. There are no such niceties as tickets. You get off where you need to - but there are actual stops on the route. Coming back was a bit more interesting, though. I had to get some baguettes at a shop about half way into town (everything else was closed for Bastille Day), so I got off and Yvette took the kids back to the resort. The girls were worried that they might never see me again!

I bought the baguettes, and crossed back over the street to wait for the next Truck. I was joined by an older Tahitian woman, who asked me (our conversation was a mix of her halting English and my halting French) if I was waiting for Le Truck. I told her I was and we waited. She flagged it down as it approached, I paid the driver and got on. The woman didn't. She picked up her shopping and walked down the street.

I was amazed. She had actually waited to stop Le Truck so that I (clearly a stranger) could get on. Her hospitality was overwhelming and helpful! That's what I remember so vividly about Le Truck, and why, if I returned to Papeete some day I would prefer it as my transport and spurn the taxis every time.

Papeete was beautiful because the people were beautiful. The scenic marvels (coral reef fringed beaches, the spectacular sunset looking out across the water towards the island of Moorea etc.) were the icing on the cake. I think a lot of people get this the wrong way round and go for the natural wonders first. I guess it just depends on your holiday and the experiences that you have while there.

Some of our kids' favourite travel memories

The other day we were talking about eating icecreams. Bendy piped up about visiting an icecream factory. We were surprised, as we visited the Ben and Jerry's icecream factory in Waterbury, Vermont in 2006, when Bendy was just 2 and a bit. Bendy still remembers it. The other strong memory that Bendy has from our America holiday is eating a SpongeBob icecream in Central Park in New York. Bendy actually has no idea who SpongeBob is, as we have no TV, and therefore the only thing she knows about SpongeBob is that he's an icecream character. However, she liked the goofy look of him and obviously its highly memorable for her.

The Bookworm remembers the same day, but not so much in the context of eating icecreams (although she does remember eating the rest of the SpongeBob, because even though it was obviously so exciting and memorable for Bendy, she didn't want to actually finish it!). For her, it was more about learning a bit about the Beatles and John Lennon, in the Strawberry Fields part of Central Park. When they were there, there was a jazz band busking, and the kids really enjoyed listening to it. It took them quite some to get up enough courage to go and put some money in their collection. The Bookworm really didn't want to, but eventually did.

Of course, their other favourite travel memories would have to be from our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland. That will be burned onto their brains and they will never forget it. Indeed, Bendy's new life quest is to visit ALL the Disneylands around the world. Aim high! Just what the Disney corporate executives would want...

When The Bookworm was 20 months old, we visited the UK, Ireland, and Singapore. For a long time afterwards (until the memories eventually faded) her strong memories of that holiday were of the Jacobite steam train on the West Highland Railway in Scotland (also famous as the Hogwarts Express), men on horses in London (the Horse Guards) and a piece of troublesome rubbish that was stuck to the play equipment in Singapore airport. At the time she found this piece of rubbish extremely distressing, and we think that is why the memory stuck with her for so long.

Interesting that all of these memories have strong emotions attached to them. Most were obviously of extreme happiness and even ecstasy, but the distressing ones were equally emotive.

Sometimes people wonder why we take our kids with us on holidays when they are so young. We know that not all the memories that our kids have of their holidays - especially from when they were extremely young - will stay with them forever, but each has a part in shaping who they are. Of course they won't remember things from when they are tiny, but that doesn't make the experiences any less important.

Other people's travel photos

Ok. So you're invited by some friends to come over for dinner, and during the evening they whip out the photo album / laptop to show you the photos (all 9000 of them) from their latest trip. At this point, many of us would watch politely for five minutes, yawn, then feign illness requiring hospitalisation in order to effect a rapid exit.

I don't. A few years ago, some friends did a to-die-for trip around Europe with another couple (sans children). It included a few destinations we were familiar with, and much that was completely new to us. The account of their trip, regaled along with the photos was absolutely riveting. We were hooked! At one point, one of our friends did check that they weren't boring us, and we assured them - completely truthfully - that they weren't. At that point, the realisation dawned on all of us that viewing other people's photos and hearing their stories can be just as much a reliving of your own experiences as your own photos are. 

With this couple, we had shared destinations. For another couple, whose trip along the Inca Trail in South America (where we have not been) was fascinating, it was the contrast between our experience and theirs that brought back our memories.

We have thus lived through a wonderful holiday to Estonia, Czech Republic, France, Italy and Austria; a close relative's trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway and around Moscow and St Petersburg; the Inca Trail trip; and another Europe trip done by other friends that included Pompeii (also where we have not been). There are probably many others - but that's just off the top of my head.

I once heard it said that you don't have to own something to enjoy it. I think I'll attribute that to my mother, as she has a small but useful supply of such advice - and it is probable that I did get it from her. By extension, you don't have to have had the holiday to enjoy it. It is possible to enjoy something belonging to someone else.

Far from being boring, I am fascinated by other people's holidays. I love the storytelling and the reminiscence of "crossed paths" where we have also been. I love the opportunity to hear first-hand about new and exotic places that we may not have even considered visiting. And I love the feeling you get when looking at the photos of "I have been there". Even more, I love the feeling of "I know what is just outside the frame of that photo, and where it leads to".

Living vicariously through others' travel

We have some friends who are currently EXTREMELY excited about their first BIG overseas trip as a family. They did all go to a Pacific island last year, but somehow I think they are much more excited about a trip that they are planning to Europe.

They have lots of questions for us about how we do our travel with our kids. We'll be going on a picnic with them on Saturday, so we'll all get to get terribly excited about their proposed trip!

A family member is also currently planning a trip to Europe, and it has been fun seeing her decide what tour to take, and how and where she will spend her extra time in London.

Far from being terribly jealous of their travels, (well, maybe I am a little...) I'm so excited for them, and so pleased that they are able to go. It does help that we went on a big trip last year, so we don't feel particularly overdue for another one.

Our friend today commented that he just feels like everything is focused on the upcoming trip. I said that I was the same too, except that ours is about 2-3 years away! No, maybe that's not exactly true - I don't think about Greece and Turkey (our proposed destinations) most of the time, just travelling in general!

So we do enjoy helping them to plan, giving them tips on how to manage the long distances with kids, great places to go etc, without planning our own holiday for them! They do after all, probably have quite different ideas about what they imagine their holiday to be like. I'm sure they won't end up doing the same things as us, just because we're different people to them.

However, the opportunity is there for us to talk about what we did, what worked for us etc. And then they're very welcome to chose to do the same, or something completely different!

It just brings back all the wonderful memories...

Why I don't think I'd enjoy travelling solo

I have always felt that life is so much more enjoyable when it can be shared. I therefore feel that travelling is so much more enjoyable when it can be shared.

Recently our family went to the Sydney Royal Easter Show for the day. I wasn't particularly well, so for some of the day I just sat and watched in the woodchopping arena, while my family went off and explored other things. I REALLY enjoyed watching the woodchopping (though as my SIL says, she really enjoys watching the woodchoppers!) but felt that I would have enjoyed it so much more if my family had been there to see it with me.

There was a tree felling heat which included the world champion in it. The first guy had a handicap of about 16 seconds, and along the line the handicaps got longer and longer until the world champion at the end, who had a handicap of 130 seconds. AND HE STILL WON! It was such a fabulous contest, seeing this fellow who is SO good at chopping down trees, and so highly skilled that he completely outshone all the other contestants. I wanted so much to share the experience with my family.

When I did comment (to myself or anyone else who happened to be listening) the girl sitting next to me probably just thought I was some sort of weirdo who likes talking to herself. But no, I just wanted to be able to enjoy it as part of a shared experience!

When we travel with our kids, part of our aim is to build family memories. That is really important to us, because its the stuff that strong family bonds are made of. Family memories are part of what binds families together, and what makes them distinct and separate from the outside world.

I can tell you all about my dad and his pigeon impersonations in Victor Harbour, South Australia, but it would never be as funny as if you were there, seeing it for yourself. Those memories are something that I share with my family only, because we were the only ones there.

I can't imagine being on the other side of the world in some breathtakingly beautiful place and having no-one to comment on it to. Or no-one to remember it with afterwards.

I guess that people who travel solo have to make the effort to connect with fellow travellers, but personally, I'd much rather have my family there on tap, to provide me with that companionship and shared memory building. I guess that's a luxury that I am extremely fortunate to have.

Favourite places we've visited: Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

I loved the Sainte-Chapelle for two reasons. The glorious stained glass windows are, of course, the paramount reason to visit. Few churches can rival the technicoloured splendour of the windows which seem to defy gravity and stretch away up to the vault of heaven itself. Even the lower chapel (for the royal servants etc.) was impressive!

I have a soft spot for stained glass, and this little chapel is a supremely fine repository of that art form. Architecturally it is a wonder: the spindle-thin columns of stone supporting the weight of the roof with over an acre of glass in-filling the spaces between, towering to a great height above the decorated floor. And the light. All that glorious coloured light streaming in from the outside. It is no wonder that the architects of Gothic cathedrals thought they were transmitting the immutable presence of God to the awestruck congregations of the middle ages. It still works in our high-tech information age. A telephoto camera lens helps to make out the detailed figures within the higher glass panels that are otherwise indistinguishable from the floor.

I'd love to have had the chance to experience a choral concert in the upper chapel - I suspect the acoustics are impeccable.

The other reason I loved the Sainte-Chapelle is more prosaic: I had my first actual conversation in French with a security guard, asking for and clarifying directions to a toilet other than the nearest one (inexplicably closed...) for Bendy. A great sense of accomplishment swept over me despite the ordinariness of the subject.

Our travel tip for the Sainte-Chapelle is this: there are TWO queues into the Palais de Justice. The one on the left is for visitors to the Palais de Justice (i.e. probably not you). The much longer line on the left is for the Sainte-Chapelle. We joined the wrong line at first, and then were sent on to the end of the other one right at the doorway. It stretched back to the corner of the building, so we thought we'd be there for ages, but it was really only about 20 minutes from there until we went through the security screening checks.

Favourite places we've visited: Quebec City, Canada

Quebec City, Canada has two distinct parts. First, there's the yukky modern city. It seems about as lifeless and uninspiring as many modern cities can be.

Then there's the old walled city - and that's a different world. We were privileged to stay within the walls a few years ago at a charming hotel with an all-important adjoining parking garage (with a hefty fee...). What a pleasure it was to stay in this place! We could easily have lived there (except we didn't experience winter, and I suspect that it's a little colder than what we experience in Australia). So, what was so good about Quebec City?

Well, I guess the first thing is the people. Canadians are universally hospitable. We've never met an impolite, unfriendly Canadian and I wouldn't wonder if they didn't exist. And despite occasional English/French rivalry and attempts to secede from Canada, the Quebecois (French Canadians) were extremely courteous to us as their guests, even if they did assume we were British...!

Secondly, the architecture is fantastic. A European city in North America, replete with French architectural styles. The grand hotel Chateau Frontenac, with its commanding position above the city, certainly reinforces the French influences in the buildings.

Thirdly, the ambience and quaintness (and I don't mean that in a condescending way) of the city: cobblestones, steep winding streets, artists on the pavement, Christmas shops, the tangled driving maze, the wall encircling the town, the street decorations. The myriad of tiny details that conspire to create the feeling of a place, and not just the pretty view.

Fourth, the view. Commanding a high position above the St Lawrence Seaway, it is one magnificent view. And there's a long promenade to take advantage of it.

Fifth, the wonderful, wonderful eateries. OK, so we debased ourselves and went to McDonald's once, but we have repented of our error and won't do that again in a hurry. But the cafe across the street and up a bit was simply fantastic. Our lunch servings were so substantial we had to join several tables together just to fit the trays on them (there were 2 adults and 2 kids, ages 5 and 2)! And, the staff let me practice my very haltering French - we conversed bilingually until I got it right! The food was great and the coaching graciously endured. Also, the kid-friendly staff and food at the St James Resto-Bisto is worthy of special mention.

In planning this holiday, we had intended to see New York and the New England area - Vermont in particular. We stretched things and reorganised the itinerary to squeeze in several days in Quebec City, and we are so pleased that we did! It was well worth the visit.

Favourite places we've visited: The Alhambra, Granada, Spain.

There would be few places on earth which rival the overwhelming magnificence of the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra. Located on a hillside overlooking the Spanish city of Granada, it is a must-see destination for any travellers to Andalusia. The gardens of the palace, and the summer palace of the Generalife (next door) are magnificent - so it isn't just the interiors that are worth seeing.

We were there on a mostly sunny day - though it was raining as we left. We had driven from Seville for 3.5 hours to be there, and found the route - especially in and around Granada - to be really well signposted. This can often be a problem in unfamiliar territory, but not here. The directions were superb, and there was loads of carparking (pay parking).

We had pre-booked the entry to the Nasrid Palaces on the internet about 3 months in advance. This is because they only permit a certain number of people into the Palaces each day - so if you turn up on the day there is no guarantee you'd get in. And I wanted that guarantee. I don't think that pre-booking made any difference to the price - just to the certainty. You are allocated a half-hour timeslot within which you MUST enter the Palaces, or you miss out. I seem to recall, however, being able to nominate either morning, afternoon or evening tickets - but you can't specify the timeslot.

We turned up as early as we could and were helpfully assisted at the Servi-Caixa machines by an attendant to actually retrieve our tickets. These are scanned every time you enter the grounds - you can do this as much as you like - and on entry to the Palaces.

We got some takeaway lunch from a little store across the street - ham and cheese rolls or something as simple. There is not much to choose from, so bring your own if you need to. The adjoining restaurant was pricey and uninspiring. We entered the grounds and found ourselves a little seat in the shade of the trees at the approaches to the Generalife. Quite a few people were in the area, enjoying the sunshine, the gardens and their lunch.

Ahh yes. The lunch. Apparently you can't eat lunch in the grounds. At all. We were roundly told off for doing so (as were the other visitors) and were made to exit the grounds and eat outside. We could only conclude that it was some sort of effort to keep pigeons away - otherwise who would bother with such a rule? Obviously we wouldn't be able to eat inside the Palaces, but outside? It hardly made sense. Well, we sat outside the complex entry and ate, then re-entered without hassle.

After a very brief look at part of the Generalife gardens we headed for a longer-than-expected walk to the Nasrid Palaces. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. The queue for our timeslot was long, but once it got going it was quite a quick entry given the number of people.

Nothing can prepare you for the interiors. Of course, I'd seen lots of photos etc., and read Moorish Architecture of Andalusia by Marianne Barrucand as part of the lead-up to the holiday. I was still unprepared. As we have said a few times in previous posts, there is nothing like the reality of being there to bring something to life. One of the things that amazed me was that each room I entered was more magnificent than the previous one - if that were at all possible. I cannot begin to adequately describe the intricate details of the tiles, the plasterwork, stonework, timber ceilings and beams. Everything is covered in the most exquisite decoration. And the amazing thing is this: it should look overdone and tizzy, but it isn't. It is remarkably restrained and elegant.

The kids loved it too. They looked for patterns on the walls, they looked at ceilings - and they constantly reminded us that you must remember to look up - they looked at a thousand small things that adults might otherwise miss: everything from door handles to window shutters, ponds to floor tiles.

We went in search of Moorish Spain, and stayed in Seville as our base in order to minimise the travel, packing and unpacking and all the settling in that a new hotel requires. In addition to the Alhambra, we visited the Real Alcazar (Seville), Cordoba Cathedral (the Mezquita, Cordoba), and the very tourist-free ruined city of Medina Azahara (outside Cordoba). If Moorish Spain is ever on your itinerary, then the Alhambra must not be missed. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and it was worth the seven hour round trip to get there.

Favourite places we've visited: Scenic World, Katoomba.

For all the non-Aussies out there, Katoomba is situated in the Blue Mountains, a gorgeous World Heritage Listed region to the west of Sydney, Australia. Favoured in bygone days as a health resort, it is a centre of tourism in our region - and with good reason. The natural beauty of the area is outstanding, and there are many ways of enjoying a day or a week in the area.

Unfortunately, most tourist buses only visit Echo Point, to view the Three Sisters rock formation, and iconic view known from thousands of postcards, and then force you to spend all your money at horrible souvenir shops. Pity - there is so much more in the mountains.

Scenic World, from my childhood, was one such tourist trap. A few years ago we stayed in Katoomba when the opportunity arose for Yvette to do some teaching in Katoomba. The girls and I spent a day at Scenic World, and I was genuinely pleased at the transformation that has been effected in the intervening years. Sure, it's still a tourist trap, but it has certainly improved. There are three elements to a visit. 

Firstly, there's the cable car suspended high above the valley, overlooking the National Park. On a good-weather day the view is incredible. I remember the old tin-pot cable car which has thankfully been relegated to the carpark, and we marvelled that this new version, with its glass floor for viewing directly below (and somewhat creepy to stand on).

Secondly, there is the Scenic Railway. Once built to haul miners up from and down to the valley floor, it is a very steep rack rail that is more like a tame rollercoaster. It still sets your stomach a-flutter as it appears to plunge over the cliff in an almost vertical position.

Thirdly, at the bottom of the Scenic Railway there is a wonderful new boardwalk through the temperate rainforest in the valley. This is absolutely fantastic. There are little boards describing the ecology of the rainforest, particular plant species, and a very cool, green ambience that can consume many lazy hours of wandering and sitting.

So, while Scenic World is very touristy, it is not as bad as you might think. The addition of the rainforest walk is certainly a plus. If you can manage a bushwalk as well, you'd end up with a really great day out with the kids in a natural environment. At the end, of course, there are always the rewards on offer at Blue Mountains Chocolate - all hand made, and only a few streets from Echo Point. Mmmmmm!

Sleeping with a washing machine

We've mentioned before that sometimes it is unfortunately unavoidable that you have to share a bed with your children. I know that some people do this out of personal preference, but we are not included among that number.

Wherever possible we try to arrange it so that we can have a double/queen bed for the adults and the children have either a double to share or a single bed each. When the kids have to share a bed, we have topped and tailed them so that they are each using a different part of the bed (and get in each other's way less). This seems to work better than having them both with their heads up one end, because one of our children is a washing machine when it comes to sleeping...

Once, in Portugal it happened that we could only get two separate non-connecting rooms, with a double/queen size bed in each. That meant that we had to have a parent and a child sharing each bed (we didn't feel safe leaving our kids in a room without us). One of us therefore had to draw a short straw and share with The Washing Machine.

It wasn't me...

[...and here John butts in for a minute: I had just driven for six hours and was extremely tired so I didn't need what was coming next...]

John was woken in the middle of the night by Bendy who was sitting up, trying to pull the pillow out from under his head. She said she wanted her pillow back. John pointed out to her that it was his pillow, and hers was where she had left it. She doesn't always bother with sleeping parallel to the sides of the bed, with her head helpfully resting on the pillow. On this occasion as for many others, she was actually sleeping across the bed, and had therefore lost track of her pillow. John had been pushed, kicked and pummelled for much of the night by her feet, as she lay across the bed. Needless to say, he didn't get a really satisfying night's sleep.

So, sure, if your children are a little more passive than ours are in bed, by all means co-sleep with them if you are that way inclined. However don't be surprised if we choose not to.

Favourite places we've visited: Western Plains Zoo

We had the opportunity to visit several towns in western New South Wales, Australia, two years ago and spent a couple of days in Dubbo - a large regional centre. The prime attraction (but by no means the only one!) is just out of town: Western Plains Zoo. Western Plains is a large, open range zoo in which it is possible to see the exhibited wildlife on foot, by car or by bicycle (which can be hired at the zoo).

This zoo is involved in a large number of animal conservation projects - from tigers, to rhinos, birds to primates. We discovered that the zoo is open very early in the morning for guided walks, hosted by volunteers from the Friends of Western Plains Zoo. These walks take you behind the scenes to some of the night enclosures, and also give you the chance to see things like feeding up close. The early morning walks cost extra on top of the daily admission ticket, but it is well worth it. It was difficult getting up at the crack of dawn to get out to the zoo (and have the kids organised!) but what a great time we had! Click here for the early morning walks website (it's really difficult to find just by browsing from the Zoo web page!)

Bendy went berserk over seeing the giraffes (her then-favourite animal). She nearly popped out of her skin with excitement - AND we got to see them being fed up close. She also nearly went mad over the camels (though we don't really know why - she'd never shown much interest in them before, or since...). The guide we had was excellent. She was fun, knowledgeable, and friendly - willing to answer questions, pick up the kids for a closer look etc. We had a look through the rhinoceros night yards, amazed to see so many of these critically endangered creatures in one place. The only animal we really couldn't see were the zebras - they were in quarantine due to an outbreak of equine influenza in Australia that brought any horse-related businesses to a standstill.

The tour went for a couple of hours, and was over just prior to the main zoo gates opening for general admission. While there were lots of people (in small groups) doing the early morning guided tours, it felt as if we had the place to ourselves. We spent most of the rest of the day exploring the zoo to its full extent (the tour doesn't cover everything!) and it was a great opportunity for our kids to see endangered species (both exotic and native) in a somewhat natural habitat. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we wandered at our leisure around the zoo, chatting about the animals, about conservation and appreciating the magnificent diversity of the natural world. We caught the hippopotamus talk and feed (a daily event, not part of the early morning tour) which was fantastic, and had the kids gripped throughout.

We highly recommend the early morning walks at Western Plains Zoo! Next time - which might be a while away - I'd consider staying at the Zoofari Lodge and have the whole wildlife-at-night experience as well.

Favourite places we've visited: San Gimignano

It is with some trepidation that I start a new series of posts about our favourite places to visit - they might just become too popular and lose some of their charm. However, here goes.

Top of our list is San Gimignano, Italy. What a beautiful place this is. We came upon it almost by accident - we were looking for a place in Tuscany when our travel agent suggested San Gimignano. Following that recommendation was one of the best things I have done, travel-wise.

For starters, it is World Heritage listed: and that generally means quality or significance. The whole town dates from the middle ages, and is picturesque in every way. The countryside around is filled with vineyards and fields of sunflowers, and the town is perched on the crest of a hill overlooking it all. All the stereotypical features are perfectly exhibited in San Gimignano: narrow, winding cobbled streets; rough, rustic stone buildings, NO CARS (must be kept parked in a hotel garage or outside the town walls), and a very slow, easy pace. There is a couple of tiny but exceptional museums, beautiful churches, town squares, discreet souvenir shops (restricted to one street, where most of the tourists on day-trip coaches congregate), and good restaurants.

We stayed in the Hotel Leon Bianco, and had a room overlooking the square. One morning, Yvette opened the shutters and watched the town wake up. The smell of freshly baked bread and brewing coffee mingled with the quietness in the air to create one of those indefinable but memorable moments. The day before, as we wandered across one of the squares, we became aware that the noise level had dropped, and that everyone seemed to be walking quietly. There was a harpist in the shade of the arcade at the side of the square playing exquisitely wonderful music, and anyone who could hear it seemed to show the utmost respect and gratitude for the intangible gift of music. We listened for a while, then crept off to our museum destination carrying with us something extra we hadn't brought with us.

Another time, we climbed to the top of the tallest tower (there used to be 72 of them!) to look out over the town and surrounding Tuscan countryside. Wherever we went in San Gimignano it seemed as if there were a thousand tiny treasures waiting to be revealed. Time stood still, but of course it raced by all too quickly.

Of course, the whole driving experience was accentuated in this hill town. I had never driven a car with a manual transmission until I got to Italy. I learned pretty quickly (though not very well) how to basically propel the care in a forwards direction. Once it was underway I was OK, but if I stopped for ANYTHING (toll gates, traffic lights etc.) then it could take me quite a while to get going again. I think the expression is "bunny-hopping"... Well, I did more than my fair share of that in San Gimignano! The 'no cars' rule is strictly adhered to. You can ONLY drive into town to drop of luggage at your hotel. You must then either leave your car in the hotel garage or take it back outside the walls. Our hotel had a garage - and quite frankly I didn't care how much they were charging me for using it, as driving that manual car was very frustrating.

There is one set of traffic lights in San Gimignano. Because the streets are so narrow, it allows a free flow of cars in both directions by alternating which direction has the right of way. I stopped at those lights. I finally got going again after SEVENTEEN changes of lights (surely a record!). It was a pleasure to use the garage! In the morning the hotel staff got the car out for me and I could go forwards again quite happily. On our last morning, however, they got me to reverse out. I'd never reversed at all until then, and wasn't sure I could do it. The garage was little wider than the car - so my room to manoeuvre was severely limited - but I did it (eventually).

San Gimingano had a great mix of culture, history, size, ambience and memories. It is one of the best places we've ever visited. I'll never forget that experience, and I'll never again hire a manual car.

The cheese incident...

OK, so I mentioned a cheese incident in the last post. Let's just state from the outset that I love cheese. I am especially partial to Brie - and triple cream if at all possible, though any sort will be just fine. Our trip to Tahiti was the first time I'd set foot on (notionally) French soil since going to New Caledonia as a teenager. We got it into our heads that it would be nice to track down some real French cheese. So we took ourselves off for a walk and about 20 minutes later came across a little shopping centre with a handful of shops which included a supermarket-and-variety store all in one called Carrefour.

It was a teensy bit run down - a kind of slow, nonchalant carelessness about it. What it did have, however, was a HUGE cheese section which stretched for metres and metres down the centre of the store. Mmmmm! Cheese heaven. I had so much choice! And it was ALL imported from France! It was impossible to know where to start. Yvette left me to it - she couldn't cope with the overload! - and went in search of fresh fruit. I read labels, tried to do quick exchange rates in my head (didn't work, but it made me feel better) and bought a wedge of the creamiest, sloppiest authentic Brie.

We took it back to the hotel and relished the fantastic flavour as we sloooowly nibbled our little cheesy treasure. We wrapped the remainder for the next day, and popped it into the bar fridge. When it came to the next afternoon, we sought out our cheese and found that housekeeping had removed it from the fridge and disposed of it. QUELLE HORREUR!!! I had a fit there and then! How could they do that! Barbarians!

I most certainly went, with my pleasantest smile and determination, to the concierge and lodged a complaint - which needed resolving immediately as we were preparing to leave for the airport. The concierge was most understanding, and said he'd see what he could do. I went back to our room frustrated and despondent at being robbed of my little pleasure.

A while later, there was a knock on the door. Before us stood one of the hotel staff, bearing an apology and a plate from the kitchen with a HUGE quantity of Brie and several bread rolls. Would that suffice? Certainly it would - and it did! Thank you. It turned out to be a much finer cheese than the one we'd lost, so we enjoyed Brie rolls at the airport at midnight.

There was so much Brie we couldn't possibly eat it all without actually becoming ill, so we wrapped it up and took it onto the flight with us. We did eat more on the way to Sydney, but were still left with a sizeable wedge as we approached those friendly souls at Customs and Quarantine. Australia has some of the strictest quarantine laws in the world, but we thought we'd give it a go.

We declared it (of course - stupid not to! Getting caught was NOT something we wanted to do over a wedge of cheese, no matter how good!). The woman who served us was most apologetic about having to confiscate the cheese - but completely understood that we might want to keep it. Who knows? They might have let us keep it (delusional, aren't we?)... We were OK with letting it go - it was obvious we had to - we'd had rather a lot already.

When we finally did get to Paris, we sourced a fromagerie and stocked up on more Brie. You might have to do what the Romans do in Rome, but in France you HAVE to eat their cheese! And they go ever so nicely with fresh baguettes...

Favourite travel memories: Chaarming!

It was a warmish day at Conimbriga, which is one of the Roman ruins sites in Portugal. We arrived around lunchtime. We sat on a bench in the shade of a tree to eat our lunch.

Sitting there, quietly enjoying our lunch and the surroundings, Bendy (aged 4) suddenly turned to The Bookworm and said, with airs, graces and put-on posh accent, "Bookworm, its chaarming having you here with me!"

We fell about laughing. No idea what brought that on!