Kyoto is another great city to visit while in Japan. Japan’s former imperial capital has a population just shy of one and a half million people, making it much smaller and quieter than Tokyo. The main reason to visit Kyoto is to soak up its fascinating culture and history. Kyoto is also the best place in Japan to go temple hopping. Why? Because it has over sixteen...
If there was one thing I knew for sure as a little girl, it was that my honeymoon would be in Bora Bora. Maybe it had something to do with being French, as most French people consider French Polynesia a distant paradise. With its stunning, crystal clear waters, beautiful beaches, palm trees and iconic overwater bungalows, it sure looks like paradise on earth. But it...
If you want to escape the crowds of Tokyo, another popular outing is a day trip to Kamakura. Kamakura has so many temples that it is also known as the Kyoto of East Japan. From Tokyo, it takes between one to one and a half hours by train to reach Kamakura, depending on which train line you use and your point of departure. We were staying in Shinjuku and simply hopped...
During our week long stay in Tokyo the bustling capital of Japan, we took a day trip to the popular town of Hakone. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Mt Fuji. Because leaving Japan without seeing Mt Fuji would be a real shame. We’d seen so many amazing photos of this imposing mountain that we couldn’t wait to finally set eyes on it for ourselves. From...
The day after visiting Toulouse, “The Pink City”, we made our way across to Albi, “The Red City”. Albi is set on the banks of the Tarn river, about forty minutes drive from Toulouse. Its episcopal old town, located right in the middle of Albi became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. The episcopal old town is built almost entirely from Languedoc-style red bricks...
As 2016 is coming to an end (already!) it’s time to reflect on what a great year it has been for us. We’ve been really lucky this year, managing to explore some really amazing places and ticking quite a few items off our bucket list. We visited two other states in Australia and six other countries, which made it a very busy year indeed! With all of that travel under...
Recently we briefly visited Toulouse to catch up with family. We knew that we wouldn’t have enough time to see much of the city but we were still keen to spend a couple of hours checking out its main attractions. Toulouse is a lovely city to walk around, especially on a nice summer day. The locals call it “la ville rose” (the Pink City) because of the pink stones...
During our recent trip back to France, we took a day-trip to the medieval hill-top village of Rocamadour. Strangely we had never heard of Rocamadour before, even though it is a UNESCO listed site and one of the most popular tourist attractions in France. Arriving there in August, it certainly felt that way! Even though the day was cloudy and rainy, the village was...
Over the years we’ve taken our fair share of long-haul flights. We live in Australia, have family in Europe and love to travel; so there’s no way we can avoid them! In my twenties I used to love them; the further away, the more exciting, right? But of course, as we get older, sitting on an aeroplane for hours on end starts to lose its excitement; we just want to be...
I doubt anyone would visit Slovenia without taking the time to experience the world famous glacial Lake Bled. With a stunning backdrop of the Julienne Alps and with its beautiful clear turquoise water, Lake Bled is one of the most photographed lakes in the world. So when we spent three days in Zagreb at the end of our holiday, visiting Lake Bled was near the top of...