Gobble Up Turkey

Friday 20th September 2024

We awoke bright and early for our last day in Trieste after a very pleasant stay in a great apartment.

Walked the busy roads to the tree lined avenue where all forms of outlets were selling breakfast treats. Some sort of panini looking thing, a version of a Vanilla Slice plus 2 cups of coffee ( we somehow ordered and paid for 4 before collecting them) and we were fed and watered for our morning tour.

With terrible weather predicted for our walk the first stop was a sporting goods shop to buy a poncho. Jane’s view was its great for this trip and too big a spend not to use it again on a walk next year.

Guessing she has spied a future trip and will divulge it on our way home.

Headed out to the waterfront and was amazed at the derelict buildings still standing after the port was relocated . It would be a remarkable site for redevelopment into hotels and apartments with its panoramic view.

We wandered back along the promenade and then out to the finger  wharf which gave great views out to sea and back into the hills behind town.

Despite a raft of ‘no fishing’ signs anglers of all ages littered the foreshore- non with observable evidence of success.

We wandered back down to our favourite haunt – the Grand Canal- and lunched on an Argentinian meat platter and the obligatory Aperol , whilst overlooking the now spruced up canoe polo court. A few teams were up in a compound preparing boats. 

A last coffee and cake at the cafe near our digs and we were soon in the people mover heading for Slovenia, some two hours away.

The driver was a polite and engaging young man who spoke perfect English. He basically gave us a  guided tour and history/geography lessons as we wend our way northwards with ocean to the left and karst mountains to the right.

The shipyards where the cruise liner being built was more evident from on high and apparently it is the biggest industry around Trieste.

Out of the city and we were in the famed Prosecco area- even had a town named after it. Then it was our first glimpse of the imposing Julian Alps. 

We soon crossed over into Slovenia which is very popular with Italians for two reasons cheap petrol /cigarettes and Casino’s.

Off the top of the hills and down into the Soce river where we got our first glimpse of the emerald coloured river- stunning is the only word to describe it. 

The interesting backdrop was the bushfire scarred hills which last year held more than one danger. Apparently the area was a torrid battle theatre during the war and one defence mechanism was to lay fields of grenades whilst retreating. One slight problem was they were not recovered post war and during the fires some 700 exploded. Not sure if it’s true or an urban myth and if the latter I am happy to perpetuate it.

Driving along the valley floor there was a real mix of residential and industrial areas- cement production is a major employer. There was a distinct lack of farming.

The two hours passed quickly and we were soon in our quaint little township of Kobarid.

InnTravel certainly excelled itself when it comes to quality and location of accommodation.

Based in the centre of town where the hills envelop the town  and every outdoor adventure you could imagine is here . Walking rock climbing, para gliding and any conceivable thing you can do in a fast flowing river/ just go to one of the dozen agencies to book .

They even take away the need for an alarm clock as our hotel was adjacent to the church whose bell rang on the quarter hour. Hoping it stops at a decent hour.

To open the window of our room and see these mountains and the valley where the greatest wartime battle  ever occurred,   with 17 countries fighting for 29 months with the loss of a million soldiers is beyond comprehension. We will visit the memorials and war cemetery tomorrow and can imagine it will be a pretty solemn occasion. 

Intriguingly the only visible sign of the war is a derelict cannon beside a modern day Stop sign which probably reflects what they tried to do in WW1.

The area is the setting for Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms.

On a less sober note, pardon the pun, we tried the local bar and enjoyed a nice beer served by a young Asian girl who must still  be on the waiting list for the charm school course.

After a brief break and a surprise that both Sharks and Swans  won their respective matches we were rapt with the inclusive dinner option. It was fine dining all the way with wonderfully capable and friendly staff serving  up a swag of seafood delights complemented by a local Sauvignon Blanc. Then topped off with the local dessert of walnut dumplings.

No room for coffee , so we waddled off to bed after another memorable day of our latest European odyssey.

Thursday 19th September 2024

A watershed day on the trip with no planes, trains or automobiles , just good old Shanks Pony to get us around.

Could not feel anything but fresh after the sleep we had, so it was out the door to one of the recommended cafe’s we would visit today. The Bonbonierre was full of the most delicious looking treats you could imagine and selecting one was difficult indeed. A pistachio cream filled croissant with a capuchino and a little surprise shot glass of melted chocolate was a delicious start to the day.

We wandered the ‘pedestrian only’ streets full of cafes, with crowds flowing out onto the street and patrons doing what Italians do best – watch the world go by. Many had dogs of unknown parentage, along with pure breeds and all welcome patrons.

No time for lingering on the cafe express and we headed for the age old San Marco cafe come book shop, which appeared to be full of many young university students and professionals. Chose not to have a drink and continued to take in the sights and sounds of town, including the barrage of scooters.

Next stop was the Cafe Vergnano which opened in the late 1800’s. Tiny but full of charm and even at 1030 the patrons were drinking coffee, Campari and pilsner, all enjoying the ambiance. Our poison was the yummiest blended iced coffee, which was sadly only served in shot glass portions – pretty sure a schooner glass would be just right.

Not a particularly healthy start to the day, but it was enough calories to power us up the myriad of winding stairs to the Cathedral and Castle sitting high above the tunnel beneath the hill.

The castle was still in amazing condition and we did a walk through the gallery of ancient armaments before crossing the huge courtyard ( now used for theatre productions and exhibitions) before walking the parapet and getting a 360 degree view of the city.

Thankfully we had beaten the crowds off the cruise liner which must have arrived late yesterday or early this morning.

We left the castle via the castle keep and drawbridge lorded over by a couple of famous Captains and protected by a single cannon and headed for the Cathedral.

Getting into the Cathedral with 3-4 bus loads of tourists arriving was a mission impossible, so we picked our way down a steep cobbled road to another old part of town where a single remnant of the past stood attached to an apartment block- thank God for preservation orders.

With the descent finished we headed down to the port passing through what is supposed to be the biggest seaside piazza in Italy. It was amazingly devoid of people, other than the obligatory guided tour.

We wandered along the harbour and past the cruise liner in search of a seafood restaurant on the marina.

Not one materialised in the 30 minute walk, so it was off to the back streets littered with cafes, restaurants and our favourites the osteria’s which are typically family run places with menu’s with limited offerings that change regularly depending on what is available.

A couple of local entrees and a fish and calamari main were washed down with a mix of local beer and wine.

Al Fresco dining was happening everywhere as we picked our way towards home passing a wacky tabaccy shop that was open 24 hours a day,

Kept looking for the Sapori bars famed for coffee roasting and brewing, plus doing great late afternoon apéritif’s with nibbles. We spotted a few likely prospects, if we could get past the next attraction the Trieste Beer Festival which had seemingly popped up overnight, along the side of the Grand Canal, right next to the water polo ‘pool’

Got home late afternoon and cracked a mini bottle of Prosecco and did a bit of planning for next few days.

With darkness impending came another trip to the Grand Canal and we found the water polo or at least a derivative of it played in kayaks.

The beer festival was only just starting to warm up so we headed for Aperotif Countty and managed to find 2 spots for an Aperol and nibbles and then finished off ‘dinner’ with a gelato.

The streets were still packed with families enjoying that traditional time where all generations get together. Given the number of babies around it wasn’t as surprising as expected to walk into a Mum breast feeding ( all tanks out) as she strolled along.

The cruise ship had left so nowhere near as many tourists.

Did another lap of the Beer Festival tents, without embibing, and headed off home after a long days touring.

Another half day here before heading up to Julian Alps to start the walk in a town called Kobarid.

Wednesday 18th September 2024

No need to wait for the alarm we were both wide awake at 530.

We decided to get up and go and upon reaching the station were gratefully assisted by a slick Italian to get our tickets- all for a €2 donation.

The train ride entertainment was provided by a blonde bimbo fare evader trying to talk her way out of a fine. We think the persistent railway attendant was able to look through the fluttering eyelashes and grab another miscreant.

Again the airport book in and security shuffle was painless and we were soon eating toasted sandwiches – Italian style- and sipping capucinno for breakfast.

That ended the painless start to the day with Air Italia living up to its reputation and delivering an hours delay. Bit of a shame really because the booking staff and onboard crew didn’t do a bad job.

The 45 minute flight was smooth, but not so the landing as the pilot battled the 50km winds to give us an exciting landing- strangely there was none of the usual clapping, perhaps people were too busy wondering if they had spare undies.

The airport exemplified the fact Trieste only has a population of circa 200k people. Not too many staff and most seemed to leave once everyone collected their belongings.

Headed off to the train station for the 40 minute trip to town. Unfortunately, without the aid of our little helper from Rome Termini the ticket purchasing process took longer than expected, generating a lot of toe tapping from the people in the queue.

We missed the express train and enjoyed the leisurely trip to town which gave great mountain and water views. Some pretty serious hills, which hopefully are not an indication of what we will have to tackle. Boat building seemed to be big as well with a cruise liner being built at shipyard north of town.

We were looking forward to visiting Trieste with its amazing history during the two world wars and to see how it had reinvented itself.

Jane as usual had booked a well located apartment not far from the centre of town. It was very untypical of Italian and French accommodation with great sized lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom with a shower that was ‘not so squeezy’.

Had a great lunch in a nearby family restaurant before a walk along the Grand Canal, which strangely had two water polo courts set up in it amongst the moored boats. The canal sides were littered with cafes and restaurant’s, but not particularly crowded.

There is a touch of Paris with tree lined pedestrian only streets littered with alfresco dining opportunities galore. As expected plenty of churches and a plethora of different architectural styles.

We meandered home with the intent of a little siesta to try and minimise the impact of jet lag, but ended up comatose and sleeping through dinner.

During some awake time we did a forward check on weather for the walk. With something like 200mm of rain predicted over the first 5 days, including 120mm in a 3 hour slot on one day, we will either be very wet, flood bound or taking a taxi. Can only hope the forecasters here are as reliable as back home.

Tuesday 17th September

Anyone for Abseiling

The noise from aircraft was not as bad as expected and when we flung the curtains open to catch a glimpse of the new day we were amazed to find we missed out on the ‘sporting equipment’ in the room.

There it was not one but two self descending life lines and an anchor point, adjacent to a portable fire extinguisher. Seems you use them in case of an emergency (would much prefer the fire stair if it was an alternative). Just pop on the harness , anchor up and throw yourself out the window – mmm…. from the 10th floor. One would hope that there was enough rope – would hate to be hanging there like a marionette well short of the ground.

That aside it was a balmy morning and after a sumptuous breakfast with a melting pot of guests and air crew, where most  pilots looked no older than 16, it was onto the shuttle headed on another circuitous trip around the perimeter of the airport. Looks like the Korean version of Lando Norris from last night slept in and it was with a lot less haste.

With no luggage, other than a backpack, we were soon through and up into the Lounge. 

Was supposed to be a lazy and relaxing time in the Lounge but my Apple bag tag suggests my luggage is still in Sydney and Jane’s is here. 

Not much we could do other than hope it’s had  a conniption and the bag was snuggled up against Jane’s somewhere in Incheon.

Onboard it was the same excellent food and service albeit in a much older plane.

Decided to have the Korean version of lunch rather than Western option. It was yummy and I was politely reminded that the frozen white thing was not to wrap food in – it was a hand wipe.

I think I have found a new favourite dish with their lettuce wrap with special paste, vegetables and beef ribs.

It was washed down with a superb German 2018 Ice Wine- a gem for those blessed with a sweet palate.

Watched the latest Ghostbuster’s movie which was interspersed with more messages about typhoon generated turbulence. The next two movies (A Mothers Instinct and Dream Scenario ) were weird and to make matters worse the turbulence was upgraded to severe.  

When we finally did arrive it was just we two and another 3 Caucasians alighting the plane , with me still sweating about that bloody Apple  Tag – not a good look when walking through Customs. An exchange of a bit  Buena Sera with the officer and we were through. 

Was just a mere 13 hours to find out the answer to the puzzle – whizzing off the turntable in the first group was my bag.

Grabbed bags, fathomed out ticketing machine and jumped on board the Leonardo Express to Rome Termini. 

Within 5 minutes of arriving we were standing outside a metal roller shutter with what looked like graffiti emblazoned across it, but it was in fact the logo of our hotel.

A few frantic phone discussions with the owner, with the aid of a local shopkeeper,  resolved the issue  of ‘ no booking’ and we entered via an adjacent door and took the 2 person elevator to our floor. 

Room turned out to be quite pleasant and that’s all it needed to be with a flight change meaning we would be in it less than 10 hours.

We ditched our plans for dinner and walked the 2.5 Kms to the Trevi Fountain and along with hundreds of other tourists  cast our 3 coins into the fountain with the obligatory wish. 

At 10pm the area was packed with locals and tourists and the ristorantes and gelateria were standing room only. 

Our dinner was a cup of gelato from the renowned shop with 150 different flavours. Selected our 4 flavours and licked our way through the backstreets passing the Pantheon and a plethora of other sites as we trod the backstreets back home- some so dark and dingy you wondered whether we were headed in the right direction.

Back amongst the crowd near the Termini we found the hotel and flopped into bed for what was likely to be a fitful sleep – hoping the alarm would go off in the morning.

There endeth the arduous part of the journey to get here in Europe,. Now for the fun part, where legs will be our major form of transport.

September 16th 2024

In the Uber (barely big enough to fit our bags in back despite being an Uber X) at 615 and courtesy of the M4/M8 we were in the Terminal by 640.

Quick ticketing and Customs had us in the Duty Free in no time and then lounge for a quick bite to eat and opportunity to pick up a supply of Vegemite satchels for Europe.

Onboard amenities were good and staff very helpful. We certainly were not flying with the South Korean basketball team and two Caucasians of our stature certainly stood out. Pretty sure the crew was expecting a very ‘different ‘ Mr Lee.

Flew directly over home on the outward journey and it was one of the few times I didn’t curse the planes flying directly overhead.

Sydney sure looks great from above as you head north up the coast. We stayed with the coast all the way up.m before turning left over New Guinea.

I was concerned , but then pleasantly surprised, when the passenger next to me roused from a comalike state after we were airborne – thought she had died or experienced a medical episode the way she was slumped over.

Still unsure where we were staying overnight and the advice from cabin staff of ‘just pick any hotel when completing the Immigration Card’ created images of those idiots that get picked up on Border Patrol for incorrectly completing the form. 

Only time will tell when we present ourselves to Customs – can’t imagine time in a South Korean gaol would be much fun.

The lunch and dinner menu’s  were great. There was also a good selection of wines and other drinks.

Service was fabulous, polite, engaging and prompt. 

Bit of a limited film selection but I found a TV series called Riverdale which was a takeoff of Archie comic series. Think I got through 6 of 15 episodes.

Once we got over New Guinea  we were peppered with multiple ‘turbulence no service’ messages including one which mentioned ‘heavy and typhoon’. Must say it was bumpy but not frightening.

Coming into airport it was a real fairyland with the waterways crossed by extraordinarily long bridges choked with traffic. In the outskirts were 3-4 floodlit golf courses- little wonder golf clubs in Sydney are getting inundated with Korean members.

Passage through Customs was quick and a long walk from one end of terminal to the other had us at the kiosk to get picked up.

Ended up that our hotel was the one we guessed and wrote on customs declaration.

Airport Hotel was not a misnomer, it was a 20 minute  drive – sometimes at 108 in an 80 zone  and you can hear every plane that lands or takes off. Hoped there was a curfew but they were dashed when a little Google search showed they proudly open 24 hours a day.

Quick drink at the bar and it was that for the day, 14.5 hours door to door.

Tomorrow is a lunchtime flight to  Rome.

Well the practice pack is over and achieved the less than 20k load limit, so on Monday 16th September it’s off on the silver chicken to Seoul for a stopover and then onto Rome as the staging point for our 7 week odyssey.

From Rome it’s some acclimatising in Trieste and several days later it’s down to Slovenia to walk BELOW the Julian Alps ( a famous theatre for WW 1) finishing in Lake Bled.

With either tired or seasoned legs we will then head south – not walking- to Novigrad to start the walk across the Istrian Peninsula at the top of Croatia.

No rest for the wicked we will them embark on an island hopping exercise down the coast of Croatia ending up in Dubrovnik.

Post that it’s off to Italy to walk the coastal route of Puglia at the bottom of Italy, as well as spend some time in Matera and then Sorrento to have what my kids might term ‘a real holiday’.

All that should take us to the end of October and then home.

Sunday 5th and Monday 6th November 2023

Saigon and Home

Last day started with a very early rising, then breakfast where any plate or utensil that looked slightly finished with was swooped upon by the army of staff.

Checked out and left bags to collect later in the day, when we returned from our Mekong Tour. Made our way to the Opera House where at 800am there were 3 separate wedding groups having photos taken. Modesty does not seem the theme with wedding dresses, showing a bit of thigh seemed to be the theme.

Only 4 of us on the tour so we got plenty of dialogue with our guide. The trip to Mekong Delta took about 2 hours, with a pit stop half way. The traffic was again primarily bikes and the scenery lots of rice paddies.

Arrived at the port and onto a small boat to head to the first stop. Everyone had the “one size fits all” life jacket, which fitted well if you were a local. The river was brown, apparently from upstream sediment – would like to validate that fact, especially after pulling up at the wharf next to a bloated dead dog . Fact check 2- dead dogs are thrown into the river to free their spirits.

The river was full of similar boats to ours, ferrying the tourists around. There were plenty of other craft on a very big river, second biggest in Asia.

First island stop was to visit a village and taste some local food, honey products and listen to local music.

We also got a chance to see their outdoor kitchen, including the fuel stove- it was very basic, but effective.

We also had our chance to see how the groceries were bought home from the ‘supermarket’.

With the entertainment over it was time to wander through town and see how some of the local wealthy people lived. Their houses and the ones with the outdoor kitchen were very different. Every house had a little temple out front

Worked our way to the end of town and jumped aboard a Tuk Tuk for our visit to a ‘fancy’ restaurant. It was a bumpy ride on an ever narrowing road, which had us wondering whether we were being kidnapped rather than going to a restaurant.

My fears were soon allayed when we crossed a cocnut tree bridge and turned up to a set of huts in a little bit of paradise.

We had a terrific lunch with about 6 tasty different courses, washed down with a couple of local beers

Next it was off, in a very small sampan, down a narrow canal shrouded by cocnut palms. Had it been in NT you would have expected a crocodile to slither down the bank.

We also visited a coconut plantation where they made lots of yummy sweets and the famous snake wine.We tasted the coconut sweets , but passed on snake wine and opted for rice wine.

Back onto the bigger boat we headed down tne river passing a swag of fish farms where both fish and prawns are cultivated.

We docked and were soon back on the bus heading for Saigon. Interesting to note that most of the farms had cemetery plots adjacent to either houses or rice paddies. Trip back was a bit quicker than the outward journey and we were soon back at the hotel.

Thankfully we were able to grab a shower and change of clothes. Then headed upstairs to wile away a couple of hours before the trip to the airport. Enjoyed sipping G and T and a traditional afternoon storm over the river, with about 8 hang gliders providing some post storm entertainment. The river was abuzz with ferries and working ships.

The clock ticked around to 540 and we were off,with the cycle guard of honour, to the airport for a bout in the lounge and then another sleep deprived flight home, arriving about 940 in Sydney and completing another memorable overseas adventure.

The now normal expensive taxi home and after a few hours of unpacking both collapsed and slept till about 4 o’clock.

First task when out of the brain fog will be to work out the next journey

Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th November

Paris to Saigon

The weather brightened a tad for our go home adventure to begin, but still cold enough for wind cheater and the Spurs beanie( getting most out of it while they are winning).

It seems crammed lift was just a start to the up close and personal day, with an overflow of guests in the breakfast room, a squeeze getting on the train and a delay getting through Security. Thank God someone decided to separate the Yanks and us for separate processing on Immigration line.

Found a very nice lounge to wile away a couple of hours. The peaceful ambiance was broken by an enormous argument from what seemed to be the kitchen. It went on for a good 20 minutes. On the way out a couple of embarrassed staff were discussing things with the Police.

On the plane which was on time and the great food and service couldn’t dull the senses enough to drop off to sleep. It was 11 and a bit hours sleep free before we landed in a hot and humid Hon Chi Min on Saturday morning.

For a change quickly through the arrival process and in a car for the ride to our riverside hotel.

Things have not changed much since our last stopover, with miraculous evasion skills by the local motor cyclists in ant like traffic. People carrying every possible thing on the back of their bikes and still managed to survive the merge. Record number of passengers was 5. In order from front of cycle it was 5 year old, Dad, 3 year old, Mum and baby on Mum’s back – seems they left the dog at home.

After 40 minutes we arrived at the Majestic Hotel – a real step back into the past. I think 5 people met and greeted us before we reached check-in.

Unfortunately room not available till 11, so we organised, through 3 very attentive staff, to store our bags and then walk the streets for a couple of hours.

We looked for the pick up spot at the Opeta House for tomorrow’s Mekong Tour and found it and 3 wedding groups at 930am – presumably it’s a great time for photos.

Got a bit of a sweat up walking the streets before returning to our hotel. Using Booking.com bonus points we had snagged an amazing Colonial Room in a 5 Star Hotel. The room had a view of the pool, wooden paneling, King sized bed and gold plated fittings in the bathroom. You didn’t need an amenities bag, every possible need was covered and once cleaned up you could climb into the silk dressing gown and slippers. It was totally unexpected and a real treat.

Both sleep deprived travellers pinched an afternoon nap before meeting our guide and doing a walking tour – Street Food style.

With a million other people we travelled the back streets of Saigon eating with the locals. The food was sensational, even if it meant sitting on some chairs fit for kindergarten kids.

At least 95% of the food was identifiable and we punted on the rest being fit for human consumption.

For nigh on 3 hours we wandered through back alleys full of 5 level houses 1 room wide. Many were chock a block full of families dining on the floor on the ground level. There was also a bunch of boozed up Karaoke singers, including a group involved in a funeral wake .

Glad the guide knew where we were as we seemed to walk around in ever diminishing circles. Saturday night is certainly party night and there is only one way to get there – on your motor cycle. Our taxi ride home certainly involved a lot of “finding the alternate route”. It took us at least double the time of the outward journey.
We were not the only ones taking shortcuts, a conga line of bikes were driving along the footpath right outside the hotel front door, as we tried to enter.

Flopped into bed, with an early alarm set to wake us for tomorrow’s Mekong adventure.

Thursday 3rd November 2023

Orleans to Paris

The start of the long journey home started on a very windy day, courtesy of the massive storm coming across Europe – some parts hit with 160 kph gusts.

A midday train trip sitting in first class by mistake was full of interest. The troop of ticket inspectors marching up and down the aisle nabbed the usual fare evaders, who foolishly thought sitting in first class might have bought them a ride free card.

Outside the fields were full of windmills , power poles and a viaduct- like structure which went for about 20 Km’s. It was apparently a test track for a hover train back in70’s that never materialized and has just been abandoned.

It was a pretty quick trip to Paris into Austerlitz station that is undergoing major reconstruction. It caused a bit of havoc trying to find the connecting underground.

Worked out ok eventually and we found our hotel between Notre Dame, which is still under repairs after the fire, and the Sorbonne in Boulevard St Michel- we could have been walking a song from the 60’s by Peter Sarstedt.

Hotel was nice and had a lift just like most showers over here- no room to drop the soap.

Heard from hotel owner that airport train line was blocked, so did a trip to station to work out plans for tomorrow in case he was right.

Walk turned out to be a nice way to revisit some of the places we saw last time , as well as give you a look at Notre Dame, Seine and it’s boats, plus a distant view of the Eiffel Tower. It also allayed our fears , as it was only scheduled evening maintenance not a full line closure.

The streets were abuzz with police cars and ambulances , but nothing in news to say why.

The weather worsened so we ducked for cover and had a quick drink before heading out to our final dinner. Finally Jane managed to get her French Onion soup, in a restaurant where you needed a pension card to get a job on the wait staff.

Bar Manager was obviously best job, he must have had 3 glasses of wine whilst we were there.

Wednesday 1st November

Orleans

No after effects of Halloween after plenty of kids,decked out in great costumes, roamed the square outside our door.

On a Public Holiday in Orleans it was not a very pleasant welcome with cold rainy weather and more predicted to come. Sat around waiting for our taxi to the golf course and it didn’t arrive at 10. A frantic call to B and B owner ,who supposedly organised it the night before, and he reorganized one which arrived about 1030- with us having an 11 o’clock hitoff.

Taxis know how to charge here with a 15€ booking fee and an 8 km trip adding another 30€

Golf course at Limerie looked as though it was previously part of a huge hotel complex, but it’s now a private course, open to the public.

Rain had not abated so we decided to add a cart to the clubs, balls, gloves and tees . Use of the cart was under strict instructions to stay on path or in the rough.

After the course had been scarified recently, including some reseeding plus not being mown, there was difficulty trying to determine fairways from the rough. Depending on how you saw it we were never off the fairway- then again scores might belie that belief. The greens had also been cored.

That said it was a lovely layout, with 5 different tee markers and all holes lined by trees, with the back section in a forest and one hole having more water than grass. The course was originally constructed by US. soldiers after WW2- with some claim that Arnold Palmer was involved.

The rain was only light for most of the day but it was slippery under foot.- no more evident than when Jane did an acrobatic exit from one tee and became covered in mud and water, plus giving the ankle and knee a tweak.

There was also an island green on the last hole. As is fate with golf I hit my best drive then dunked a simple chip into the drink . Jane hit a couple of short shots then her trusty 7 iron onto the green.

Rain pelted down on the last and we scuttled off for a drink and in search of a calculator to check the scores. Think we both doffed our hats for the 100 well short of the last hole.

That said on one Par 3 we both nearly chipped in for birdies.

It wasn’t sparkling golf but it was enjoyable.

Decided to catch the tram home, which included a 20 minute walk to the station. We ended up passing the practice range where all balls were aimed into the lake. Not sure how they were collected.

Found our way home, dried out, washed the clothes, then taped Jane up for a walk to the City to try and find a restaurant open on a PH.

It was a bit easier than expected and meal was good, as were the Aperol, beer and Irish Coffee.

Walked home over the bridge and were accompanied by a very drunk scooter rider travelling on the wrong side of road and on the tram tracks. Within 100 metres he fell off twice, once in front of a car.

Somehow he survived and went down a side street near us and disappeared.

A bit of a crazy end to our second last night in Europe. Tomorrow it’s off to Paris and then Friday on the plane to Vietnam.