Veronika Wild

Happy Wassailers led by Morris Dancers on their way to the apple orchard On a more light -hearted note, I spent last Saturday at the Willie Smith Apple Festival in the Huon Valley.   The Huon certainly needs it after the devastating fires of the summer, which left many businesses still struggling and trying to recover. This was definitely a case of fighting fire with fire. Meet James, the first of several Green Men I was to encounter Mists rise wraith -like from the mountains while Morris Dancers defy the retreating rain I didn’t hold out much hope at first. Despite the snow on the mountain, we’d had positively biblical rain all morning and when I arrived at the sports ground where the festival was being held, cars were being turned away because unless you had four wheel drive it was too muddy to drive in. The idea was to park in Huonville and take advantage of the free shuttle buses that were being run from there. However,   thinking I would be ...

Rooftop garden in Lima I felt a bit down in Lima. Maybe it was driving in at night through acres of rundown dwellings. Or maybe  it had something to do with coming down from the heights of Quito back to sea level. Either way, it was an enormous flat city of eight and a half million people and seemed to have a permanent haze.  Miraflores where the hostel was, was pleasant enough, being one of the better areas. It had parks, lots of banks, upmarket shops and loads of restaurants where well dressed people ate and drank. I just felt kind of lost and I felt that way in the hostel too. The hostel was three stories with a grand staircase, rabbitwarren -like corridors and the best hostel bed I ever slept in, but the drinking games in the rooftop bar which were supposed to bring people together, just seemed trivial and stupid and I felt no connection to anyone. Most people seemed more connected to their ipads and iphones. Maybe it was just me - more mature now  (I hoped), mor...

Musicians play in one of the squares. You can hear a bit of it below   The atmosphere in Trinidad was decidedly different. It was very friendly and relaxed, prices were reasonable and not a single person hustled me or ripped me off. The scale was more human too, with most places within walking distance. Realising that I would lose at least one day, usually two every time I travelled by bus, I decided that it would be better to spend my limited time in Cuba visiting one or two places, rather than trying to cover a lot of ground. This UNESCO recognised World Heritage site was definitely worth a visit. Main square in Trinidad Horses and carts still ply the cobbled streets and they are still used for deliveries, not just for ferrying tourists. Typical street but behind those modest facades are elegant courtyards Moorish Influences  Luckily there was an Australian girl who spoke excel...