Category: sights and sites
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The long short train journey from Split to Šibenik
By train it is a 1.5 hour journey from Split to Šibenik. However, after the first train, there was a daily scheduled 3.5 hours to wait in the one horse town of Perković. Rather than causing this place to perk up and provide a place to be, the vibe maybe is what stops anyone but…
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Railway Dog off to Parma
This surprisingly was the InterCity train from La Spezia to Parma. It slowly squealed its way northeast away from the scrubland of the hilly Mediterranean coast to the huge flat and fertile Po valley. So much track squealing that an English woman on the train, with a brain injury causing sound sensitivity, nearly had to…
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Plants and towns of the Cinque Terre
In April the spring blooms were everywhere. The scent of Wisteria wafts around Levanto. On the trails there’s plentiful wild garlic, some thyme and oregano, and frequently rosemary is planted in public places – ideal for perking up camping cuisine. The small cobbled towns are delightful except for being packed, particularly at the weekend. April…
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A trip up Monte Lema
A post hike snooze in the sun, waiting for the local train back to the campsite
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Joining scientists worldwide on Statues Sunday
Blindfolds on statues represent the willful failure of states to face the facts and listen to the science of the IPCC. Solutions exist to limit the climate crisis, but only by substantial change that requires government and business leadership. Tell the truth governments, as tweeking at the edges is not enough. Kolping was a 19th…
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Marksburg castle, Rhine Valley
Dog and I took the train to Braubach again, this time to go up one hill to look at the Marksburg from afar, then up another hill to explore this ancient fortress.
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Short train ride, big hike, above the Rhine between Filsen and Braubach
Saturday was dry. Yippee! So with the help of local trains and Komoot navigation app, we wiggled back along the hillside from Filsen. The week marked trail has occasional maps which point out where the good view points are, so we nipped up and down the hillside to get the best ones in. Well worth…
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Drizzly cycle on Good Friday
The forecast wasn’t good, but what was I supposed to do with an Interrail ticket, a bicycle that came inexpensively with the Airbnb and a dog? We are staying in Niederlahnstein, which has taken a while to learn to spell. It’s the Caversham of Koblenz, ie the pleasant suburb on the other side of the…
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Wine-powered hydro electricity on a big scale in the Mosel / Moselle valley
Baspie dog and I were awestruck by the size and age of the hydropower plant we spotted whilst cycling by the Mosel. They built this hydro 60 years before Reading Hydro. Takes a maximum of 450 cumecs of water. Wow. I wonder if the local wine helped them in their fearlessness? The power is generated…