As she once again passed before his mind’s eye, he was puzzled why she had come to him. It was baffling. Above all, how did she know he was here? After all, he travelled a lot and you could expect to find him in other parts of Europe as well. 

- Alpina 

                     Travel

Travel and writing belong together like strawberries and cream. Both delicacies I find far too tempting to resist. As a result I gave in and wrote the cheerful little novel Strawberry Dreams, but that’s another story.

Coming from down under, travel of any kind involves huge distances so in a way I guess it’s in our blood. Then, of course, if you wish to discover new continents, the whole matter of distance takes on a new meaning. Isolated as we are on the bottom end of the globe and only just managing to hang on, the mysterious countries beyond the equator suddenly appear rather attractive and even challenging in the eyes of a young traveller.

That, at least, is how I felt when I boarded the Italian ship Marconi in 1971 on its long voyage from New Zealand to Italy. In those days air travel was not as cheap as it is today. Besides, the excitement of Europe approaching in stages was an experience not to be missed. Indeed, there were moments when many of us doubted if we would ever reach our destination.

Now, years later, the urge to travel continues to lure me out of my study into the wide world. Accompanied by camera, pen and notebook, there are few things that can compare with the joys of discovery. Europe alone is a veritable goldmine of sights and cultures as I continue to dig deeper.

So here are just a few photos you may find interesting and possibly encourage you to pack your bags and travel.