Vignettes of the World
My Travel Journal
I arrived at the Chauderon station this morning. Not far ahead stood the eye-catching Rolex building on the block. I remembered it from yesterday and knew that there would be a bit of walk to the Vieille Ville, the Old City of Lausanne. Soon I …
The Lausanne Cathedral stands at the highest point of Lausanne’s Old Town. Overlooking the City of Lausanne, the Cathedral enables a view of the Lake and the Alps afar as well. Its long history furthermore provides a vantage point of spiritual and cultural significance. The …
24 hours later, I arrived in Geneva. Despite it being the hub of international and diplomatic missions, the Geneva airport was down to earth, or perhaps too primitive for the cosmopolitan reputation of the city. There were two lines at the Geneva airport. One for …
A lesson in Australia’s history would not be complete without the history of Port Arthur. It began in the 1880s as a penal colony. Then lieutenant governor of Van Diemen’s Land, George Arthur, established Port Arthur as a settlement for the most incorrigible, repeated offenders …
Generous sunshine blessed our last day in Tasmania. We were on our way to Port Arthur. However, we detoured and stopped by a number of interesting natural sites. The Tasman Arch The Tasman Arch began as a small sea cave. Constant sea waves formed …
In our last full day in Tasmania, we visited the Wineglass Bay lookout. Note, though, that we did not visit the beach. The tour guide told us that the hike down the beach was very rigorous, going more than two to three hours each way. …
The Jackman McRoss was a local bakery just a stone’s throw away from the Montacute. We decided to get our breakfast there, since all tourist sources recommended it. It clearly was a local favorite. We felt the energy of the place as soon as we …
Hobart was a kind of place that opened up your mind. We arrived into ample sunshine and a blue sky that spread wide and far above us. The city was vast, and as the second oldest city of Australia, retained much of its antique character. …
On day 3 our journey would take us across the city into the Cataract Gorge. The Cataract Gorge is where the three rivers of Launceston meet: the Tamar, the Northern Esk and the Southern Esk. We took the Tiger Bus on our way to the …
Launceston is the third oldest city in Australia after Syndey (1st) and Hobart (2nd). That explains why the city retains a distinctively Victorian vibe. Much of the character of the late 18th, early 19th century is well alive in Launceston today. Charles Street is the …