We parked on the edge of Kalamáki near the beachfront hotel that probably wouldn’t get planning permission anymore, and walked around it to get to Crystal Beach. Had the hotel taken its name from the beach, or vice versa? With the sun right in our faces, we tramped along the sand, appreciating the fact that there wasn’t… Continue reading A Morning Walk around Kalamáki
Tag: travel
26 Days in Vienna with Kids – the Budget
We recently spent most of the month of March in Austria - mainly in Vienna but with a weekend in Salzburg, and a couple of days trips as well. So how much did we spend for a family of four? A total of €1373, or AUD1909. That was an average of €52.80 per day, or… Continue reading 26 Days in Vienna with Kids – the Budget
Athens to Zakynthos, via the Peloponnese
We arrived in Zakynthos by the front door, at the beginning of April, the end of orange season. To fly in, as we sometimes do, is to skulk in through the servants' entrance. We sailed into Zakynthos harbour this time like pirates, boots up on the gunwale, telescopes out. We’d flown into Greece the night… Continue reading Athens to Zakynthos, via the Peloponnese
The Krems selfie takers
I took this picture one afternoon recently in a café in Krems an der Donau (Krems on the Danube), which is an hour west of Vienna in the scenic Wachau area. It was a chilly day. We’d done all our sightseeing. All we wanted was to sit down somewhere in the Altstadt (old town), and… Continue reading The Krems selfie takers
Salzburg on a shoestring with two kids, in two days: part 1
There's a lot to see in Salzburg; experts have calculated you'd need a good 5 and a half days to see it all. We had two. So we had to skip stuff, obviously. Like men, women, and children at an 'all-you-can-eat-buffet' with only 10 minutes to go before the restaurant closes, we had to be strategic about our gluttony. But… Continue reading Salzburg on a shoestring with two kids, in two days: part 1
Wieners
I’ve been watching Viennese people. They probably think that, as a tourist, I’m looking at the Hofburg Imperial Palace or Schloss Schönbrunn, but I’m looking at them. What’s more, I take photographs of them surreptitiously. In my defense, if I didn’t use subterfuge it wouldn’t really be possible at all. Es ist meine Lieblingsbeschäftigung, my… Continue reading Wieners
The Wachau, Danube Valley
You’re allowed do 130 km/h on the Autobahn here in Austria. Which means of course that you do 140, like everyone else. And occasionally, when no-one’s looking, you might chance 150. Which puts the Danube Valley less than an hour from Vienna. The Danube looms large for tourists visiting Austria, in the sense that you’re… Continue reading The Wachau, Danube Valley
The Four Danubes of Vienna
Before landing in Koukla House, Greece, to start writing our book (that’s ‘The Zakynthos Project’) we’re spending a chilly month in Austria as Help Exchange guests with a family from Donaustadt, just outside Wien (Vienna). We’re settling in nicely in our Viennese hosts' house, hitting our stride by doing household jobs, helping Silvia and Pauls’ kids… Continue reading The Four Danubes of Vienna
Oh Vienna
If it wasn't for the birdsong, it'd be perfectly quiet here in Donaustadt. Preparing my cup of English Breakfast tea, I look out the kitchen window at the neighbours in their kitchen doing pretty much the same thing, probably thinking the same thing too: please let there be some milk in the fridge. There is:… Continue reading Oh Vienna