It’s a tough life behind the lens. Hiding in the shadow of a serial blogger and bending the knee to get the perfect shot. Most of the time I try to anticipate what’s yet to be written by Mrs PH, the articulate (and proper scary) better half. At other times the project manager in me […]
Oh, Vienna
Vienna is stuffed with grand and imposing buildings, most hailing from the time of the Habsburgs and most owned by that family. The principal palace, the Hofburg – their home for generations – is stunning, a huge dome atop it surrounded by white figures, all on a perfectly symmetrical (and huge) building. Even without going […]
The ‘Blue’ Danube: Part 2
Day 4: Grein to Marbach. 31km. … begins with a ferry crossing, which we share with a couple of Aussies who lived in Wellington for five years. It’s a small world. We have a shorter day today and my legs are glad of it, feeling sluggish and reluctant to work. The flatlands disappear and the […]
The ‘Blue’ Danube: Part 1
In an inauspicious start to our Danube adventure, roadworks divert us less than 100m from our hotel in Passau. Essie goes apoplectic, demanding an immediate u turn. She finally accepts this won’t happen, re-works the route and tries again. The road she wants to send us down is also closed, as are the next few. […]
Nasvidenje Slovenia
On the way to Ptuj (pronounced P-too-ee, in case you’re interested) we stop for lunch in Celje, a small town with another castle. For a quarter of the entry price to the one in Ljubljana we get a delightful hour exploring ramparts, climbing towers and enjoying views over the countryside. A large courtyard is set […]
Capital
Cities aren’t my thing. Despite that I grew up in one I’d rather be in the countryside. But I may never get a chance to visit this country again so I’m going to see its capital. Besides, cities have things like cafes and restaurants, nice buildings to marvel at, sometimes a castle, usually a river. […]
Coast and Caves
Koper is a lovely little town on the edge of a wide bay surrounded by hills. It makes me think of Wellington, but it has an Italianate feel to it, as does this whole area, which has been batted about over the centuries and was for many of them under Venetian control. Italian is widely […]
Mist and Cloud
Our last day in Bohinj and the mountains are completely hidden, cloud driving across the hills and spitting out sporadic rain. The cycle trail to Izica Bistrica, the source of the river, is wide but wet and a little slippery, water splashing my legs as I ride through muddy puddles. It soon becomes rough, loose […]
Bled Out!
We drove through Bled on the way to Bohinj and it almost put us off visiting, a thirty minute crawl into the town and crowds of people shuffling around a lake. But everyone says, you should go to Bled, and all the pictures we’ve seen suggest it may be worth it so, once again, an […]
In The Julian Alps
We get to the Vogel gondola by 8.30am but still it’s busy, the car park crowded. A young woman by me complains at her inability to get near the window to get a good picture. I’m quite glad I can’t see out. As the cable rolls over the top of a tower, the car sways, […]
Tracy Annenberg 