For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

London Open House day back in September was lovely and sunny. The Beetle was not in the country to accompany Padmasana as she usually does, to various places around central London to look around buildings opened to the public for one or two days only, culminating in a good fry up at the 24hr greasy spoon café in Smithfield. Next year, maybe!

Got the bus down to Liverpool Street, walked past the Gherkin (unsurprisingly not open this year, after the various states of security alerts London has had in recent months) and got in the queue for the Lloyd's Building. There was a long line of people, but it moved surprisingly quickly, and took 45 minutes to get to the front, where there was a stringent security check before being allowed up the escalator into “The Room”.

It's certainly impressive, a wonderful building and very modern. Saw the Lutine Bell and they also let you look through the “Losses” book: no sinkings that week, but there was one the week before, still entered in the massive book with a quill pen. Then you get a go in the fantastic “outside” lifts, up to the top, stunning views of the city, saw the dining room, lots of silver stuff, but the carpet was a little old and threadbare! It was a well organised tour and all too soon came to the end, so a speedy ride back in the outside lift down the outside of the building, which deposits you in a coffee/gift shop. It was well worth the queuing.

I then walked along Fenchurch Street to number 60, where there were no lines at the Vitro building, so was able to go straight up in the lift to the 11th floor to see great views of the Tower of London, the Gherkin and I could even see the London Eye.

Then headed towards the Guildhall, went past the Bank of England, humongous queues this year, people waited up to 3 hours, glad we did that one last year, soon found the “Touch London” exhibit. This is a scale model of the city, with all the buildings done to scale. Then saw there were no queues for the Guildhall itself, so I went in; it was fascinating seeing all the stained glass windows with all the different occupations. I liked the “Fletchers” window best of all, with its arrows.

Quick pit stop in Tesco's on Cheapside then on to the Royal Exchange to do the “City alleyways” walk with the London Guide. There were way too many people and the guide was barely audible above the traffic, but once we got going it was a fascinating 2 hours. I saw the door to the shop (now an optician) where Harry Potter went to buy his wand! Leadenhall market was interesting, this used to be a chicken market. Allegedly, a stroppy chicken refused to take its final journey and ended up being a pet to the people who worked there and when it eventually croaked, it had a state funeral! Eventually ended up near The Tower of London via St Dunstans. It was a really lovely interesting walk, though would have been better if they had done more of them to spread the crowds out a bit though!

Open House Londonis the Capital's biggest architectural event where London is turned into a living exhibition, giving thousands of Londoners the chance to experience buildings, and explore, debate and better understand architecture, engineering and design. All access is free of charge. Open House weekend is usually the third weekend in September visit the Open House website for more information http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/important/general.html

The Jenolan Caves are around 164 kilometres from Sydney, in the Blue Mountains. They are set in a valley on the far side of the Great Dividing Range and 793 metres above sea level. I drove to the Jenolan caves from Mt Victoria. The drive took far longer than I anticipated because the road becomes increasingly windy, with single lanes and passing places perilously close to sheer drops. The drive ends with a huge rock arch which you drive through, up a hill and park up a hill the other side.

The Jenolan Caves were known to the local Aboriginal population for many thousands of years as Binoomea, meaning “Dark places”. History has it that the first European to discover the caves was the bushranger and escaped convict James McKeown. A report in the Australian Argus newspaper sometime between 1838 and 1841 says: “James McKeown was an escaped convict…whose presence on the main western road was for years excessively irritating to the settlers, on whose stores he laid an oppressive toll. Local pastor James Whalan set out to track McKeown and followed him up hill and down dale for miles. After they had covered about 20 miles the bushranger suddenly disappeared…The tracks led up to a wild cavern and into it…and burst again into open day, and the route lay along a rugged gorge for some three miles. Here the bushranger again disappeared…All about were evidences of careful cultivation, the bushranger having laid out quite a nice little farm. Satisfied that he had run down his bird, Whalan retraced his steps…When he returned home he told his brother Charles of the strange country he had wandered into. 'I have been through the Devil's Coachhouse,' he said. Next day a party was made up, and with the aid of troopers McKeown was captured. His hiding place was a huge hole in the mountain-side, known now as McKeown's Hole…McKeown lived to return from a long term of exile on Norfolk Island and to re-visit the scene of his former exploits.”

There are 22 major caves in the Jenolan system. Of these, nine are open for guided tours: the Imperial, Chifley, Jubilee, Lucas, Pool of Cerberus, River, Orient, Temple of Baal and Ribbon. The caves have strange features with odd names like 'Gem of the West', 'Gabriel's Wing', 'Lot's Wife' and the 'Bishop and Three Sisters.' You can also stay at the caves, though out of the Beetle's price range, at the Caves House, a really pretty looking building with cosy log fires.

In 1866 the caves were controlled by the Australian government. In 1867, Jeremiah Wilson was appointed as “Keeper” of the 'Binda', or 'Fish River' Caves. The Aboriginal word Jenolan (“high mountain”) was not used until 1884. During the early years, visitors were allowed to break formations and take souvenirs from the caves and some of the evidence of this vandalism can still be seen today. It was not until 1872 that taking souvenirs became illegal. In the 1880's Jenolan began to emerge as a tourist destination. Jeremiah Wilson, a keen caver explored the end of the Elder Cave and in 1879 descended a shaft and rockpile to discover the Imperial Cave. This was soon followed by the discovery of the “Left Imperial” in 1880 (renamed the Chifley Cave in 1952 after Prime Minister J.B Chifley). Development within the caves of pathways and the protection of formations along with electric lighting started in 1887. Even more caves were discovered in 1903, despite exploration being made only by candlelight. Today, over 250,000 visitors make tours of the Jenolan caves.

The Beetle visited the Orient cave. Times of all tours to the nine caves are on a large notice board opposite the ticket office. Allow plenty of time to get to the caves, and plenty of petrol in your car too, for between certain times of the day, you cannot return the way you came, you have to make a big loop.

On October 8th, an earthquake around 7.6 on the Richter scale hit close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Over 80,000 people have died, at least 80,000 injured and 3.3 million people are homeless and trying to survive in icy conditions. Why is it that the world has been so slow to respond with aid?

The tsunami disaster of 26th December received not only much greater media attention but considerably more funds and aid from overseas donors.

If you want to try and remedy this in your own way, why not make a contribution, there are hundreds of organisations coordinating relief efforts.

Here is a small selection:

• Save the Children
• International Rescue Committee
• Concern

• Oxfam

• American Red Cross
• Grameen Foundation US

Bassano sits in a stunning location by the River Brenta with Monte Grappa in the background. It is about 35 kilometres north east of Vicenza. The town's symbols are said to be the Palladian bridge, white asparagus, ceramics and the Grappa liqueur. I visited the town for the day in February 2005. I really liked the location, the fresh air, the fast flowing river and the picturesque bridge. If you like to be slightly off the tourist track and would prefer a more rural setting for short break or as a base for a touring holiday, Bassano is ideal.

How to get there

The nearest airports are Treviso, used by Ryanair as its airport for Venice and Venice Marco Polo. You could hire a car from the airport. It is possible to reach Bassano by train on the Vicenzia – Trento or Padova – Bassano lines.

History

It is often assumed that the city takes its name from the well known liqueur Grappa. This is not the case; it is named after Monte Grappa. The mountain's name is said to originate from crapp or greep, meaning crag in an ancient pre-Latin language. The liqueur Grappa's name stems from grappolo, meaning a cluster of grapes.

Grappa liqueur has been produced in Bassano since 1779 when Bortolo Nardini bought a Grapperia on the Brenta River bank. Grappa is made from the by-products of wine making, the seeds, stems and skins. The company is still run by members of the Nardini family, accounting for around one quarter of annual grappa production.

Ponte Vecchia has become synonymous with Bassano. The bridge is first mentioned in the 11th century. The bridge has been rebuilt several times due to flooding or destruction during wars. It is still the original design by Palladio from 1569. The bridge is built of wood, making it more resilient to the fast flowing River Brenta.

There is a record of the city on St Mary's Hill from the 10th century. From the 14th to 18th century the city was under Venetian rule. It became well known for the manufacture of ceramics, wool, silk, iron and copper. The Remondini family ran one of the most up to date printing houses in Europe from the17th to the 19th century.

The Town Hall was first constructed in1405. Bartolomeo Ferranci installed the present clock mechanism in 1743. The interior walls are adorned by frescoes of 120 coats of arms.

White asparagus was first produced in the 16th century after Bassano experienced a hailstorm which destroyed the asparagus crop. The farmers dug up the part of the plant below the earth and discovered that it was so tender and delicious that they started to grow it underground permanently.

Parolini, a local nobleman, designed the Giardini Parolini in the early 19th century. In 1829 Parolini catalogued 3000 plant species in the garden.

During the First World War the Italians took a last stand against the Austrians in Monte Grappa where they entrenched themselves in tunnels and bunkers to repel the Austrian attackers. Over 12,000 Italian and 10,000 Austrian soldiers lost their lives in the numerous battles.

During the Second World War Italian partisans hid in Monte Grappa, organising raids on the main supply route from Germany to the German troops stationed in Italy. In 1944 the Germans took revenge by marching up the mountain behind women, children and elderly local inhabitants. Any partisans discovered or civilians suspected of assisting partisans were killed. There were public hangings and shootings with families forced to watch.

In 1946 the Italian prime minister awarded Basssano the gold medal for military valour. Every year the city commemorates these events during September.

The Museo degli Alpini was established in 1948 in memory of the Italian Alpine Troops It is located on the eastern side of the Ponte Vecchio. You have to enter it through a cafe. I found this rather confusing but the museum is down stairs to the left when you enter the cafe. Originally the collection was very small but has grown as more war relics have been gathered together. There are many original photos, uniforms and armoury.

Museo della Cermica is near the eastern side of the Ponte Vecchio. The building was constructed as the residence of Ferrari family, owners of a local silk factory. The entrance hall is adorned with a fresco by Giorgio Anseli. There are pieces of engraved ceramics from medieval times, Mainardi majolica pieces from the 17th and 18th century, along with modern pieces.

The Civic Musuem is one of the oldest in the Veneto region. It was built in1828 on the site of the convent of St Francis. It houses a collection of paintings by the Da Ponti family, Guariento and Magnasco, a collection of prints by the Remondini family. There is also an archaeological section and pieces by Antonio Canova.

Bassano boasts several churches. San Donato was built in 1208. It is claimed that St Francis of Assisi and St Anthony of Padua both stayed here during the third decade of the 13th century. The church was a hospital, run by Benedictine nuns in the 14th century, then a Fransican monastery during the 15th century. The church was restored in 1900, including work being done on the cell which was used by the two saints.

The Church of San Francesco was started in the mid 12th century, after the return of Ezzelino 11, the Stutterer, from the Holy Land. The Church of St John the Baptist was originally built in 1308 but reconstructed in the 18th century by local architect Giovanni Miazzi. Giambattista Piazzetti made the altarpiece of John the Baptist and Orzio Marinali created the statues of angels and the bas-reliefs.

The Cathedral of Holy Mary was a 10th century parish church in the original high part of the town. The present cathedral dates from the 17th century. The high altar piece and the painting of St Stephen are the work of Leandro di Ponte, and the sculptures are by Mainali. Di Giacomo Dacci made the organ and the three ceiling paintings are by Volpata.

Day trips

Marostica

Marostica is a 14th century medieval town where the original town wall stands intact. It is best known as the “town of chess”. Every second year a match, with people dressed in elaborate costumes to portray the pieces, is played on the giant chessboard below the castle. This takes place on the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday every second year, when the year ends in an even number. This commemorates the chess match played in 1454 when the victor was to win the hand in marriage of Lianora, the daughter of the Lord of the Castle of Marostica. Two suitors, Rinaldo d'Angarano and Vieti da Vallonara, had fallen in love with Lianora and were to fight a duel to see how would marry Lianora. The Lord forbade the duel and order decreed that the victor of the chess match would marry Lianora. However all was not lost for the defeated suitor, as he would marry Lianora's younger sister, Oldrata. The period costumes are permanently displayed in the Lower Castle.

Marostica holds a Cherry Festival every year during May and June. There are kiosks in the streets selling a variety of cherries including morello, roame, marostagne and sander. There is an annual exhibition of comic cartoons in the town. Every July and August local craftsmen display their work the exhibition hall of the Lower Caste. There are some lovely walks through the surrounding hills.

Asola

Asola is a charming hilltop town, with a castle, a cathedral with a altar piece by Lorenzo Lotto and the 15th century Palazzo della Ragione. It was called the “city of one thousand horizons” by Giosue Carducci, because of all the fantastic views. It was much favoured by the Venetian nobility. Caterina Corona, the former Queen of Cyprus, lived here in the late 15th century. Robert Browning, the English poet, bought a house ere in the mid 17th century. Eleanora Duse, credited with being the greatest actress of the Italian stage was also a resident. The travel writer Freya Stark was brought up in Asolo and spent a lot of time here between her various expeditions. There is an antiques market every second weekend of the month, except during July and August.

Karen Bryan is an independent travel consultant and writer, specialising in less well known destinations in Europe. Her websites are: www.europealacarte.co.uk, www.europe-culture-activity-tours