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.

Against the backdrop of the Eastern Himalayas lies a grass and jungle habitat of unparalleled beauty. Tigers, Asian elephants, golden langurs, one-horned rhinoceros and Bengal Florican share this wilderness with other rare and endangered species. And, as it flows down from the Eastern Himalayas to the plains below, the silvery waters of the Manas river nurture this paradise and the myriad creatures that reside within. Manas was chosen by UNESCO to be a World Heritage site.

Manas is in Assam, and is a National Park included as part of the Project Tiger Reserve in 1973 at the time of launch of the Project Tiger in India. The Reserve area falls in six districts, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup and Darrang. Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the buffer of the Reserve. Manas is located at the confluence of Indian, Ethiopian and Indo-Chinese realms resulting in the magnificent biodiversity.

Home to the wild buffalo, elephant, tiger and rhino, Manas harbours the maximum number of endangered species from India as listed in the IUCN Red Book. Lying in the foothills of the outer Himalaya, the low-lying and flat Manas habitat is a linear belt that extends between the Sankosh river to the West and the Dhansiri river in the east. Manas landscape offers one of the most stunning sceneries among the wildlife areas in India. Additional excitement is to make time for a trip across the river to Bhutan for which you need permission from the authorities. Permits to visit can be obtained from the Field Director’s Office in Barpeta Road.

Key Species: Tiger, capped langur, wild buffalo, hoolock gibbon, golden langur, elephant, pygmy hog

The weather: climate is typically moist tropical. The temperatures in summer are at a tolerable 35�C with nights at 18.3�C. The winters are cool with a maximum temperature of 24�C and the minimum at a chilly 7.2�C. Rainfall between 3,332 mm. to 4,489 mm. is a regular feature. Heavy downpours that flood the park are not uncommon. The humidity is high, up to 76 per cent. November and February are deemed to be the best seasons.

Getting to Masnas: By Air: Guwahati airport is 176 km. away. By Rail: Barpeta Road (40 km.) is the closest railhead to Guwahati. From here, one can continue onto Manas by road. Barpeta Road also serves as the sanctuary headquarters. By Road: Manas is accessible from Guwahati (176 km.), Kaziranga (403 km.), Darjeeling (466 km.), Shillong (287 km.) and Siliguri (386 km.) . Vehicles can be taken up to Mothanguri. Jungle visits may be on elephant back, jeep or car. With special permission boat rides are possible.

MKS Pasha is a Wildlife Conservationist by profession. He has a Masters’ degree in wildlife and has carried out wildlife research for 6 years with the apex Institute of India: Wildlife Institute of India on Ecology of Indian Bison. He has travelled extensively through India and has worked for Wildlife NGOs coordinating species conservation projects. He currently heads up the wildlife division of Travel Inn India Pvt. Ltd, one of the leading companies in wildlife tours in India. He can be contacted by e-mail: khalidpasha@travelinnonline.com or visit his website: www.travelinnonline.com

Port Renfrew is a small Canadian town with a major fishing problem. The problem is the sport fishing is great and only a few people know that. We arrive in Port Renfrew in late afternoon. Captain Quigley greets us at the entrance to Osprey Cabins. Quigley and his family provide these comfortable cabins in a beautiful rural setting – and there’s an outdoor hot tub to boot! Their place is one of the most popular accommodations in Port Renfrew, and their rates are very reasonable.

Captain Quigley is one of the most skilled and knowledgeable guides we’ve ever met. We’ve been out with the affable “Capt Quigs” before, at his other fishing operation in Sooke, BC. (45 minutes west of Victoria), so we know we’re in good hands!

The alarm shatters our solid sleep at 5 a.m. We’re on the water by 6:00. The sun is just coming up behind us as we speed westward, heading towards the mouth of the San Juan Inlet. Quigley’s boat is fast and powerful. We hang on to our seats as we bounce over the big waves!

We stop just off Camper’s Bay, where the West Coast Trail from Port Renfrew meets the “Pacific Ocean” for the first time. The shoreline cliffs are spectacular and carved into numerous huge dark caves.

Captain Quigley points over the port side towards the open Pacific. “Next stop Hawaii, and that way, Japan!” The water is as calm as it ever gets out here, but the rolling swells are huge. The sun is shining brightly now, but cool dark fog is already rising from the water, cloaking the cliffs. It looks like the trees are suspended in the air far above us. Captain Quigley tells us we’re sure to catch some big ones today. Swiftsure Bank, where Juan de Fuca Strait drops off into the deep blue Pacific, is where halibut and salmon are most plentiful. It’s hard to believe we’re fishing on the edge of the open Pacific Ocean.

The first one I catch is a screamer! They call it that because it grabs the bait and takes off. The line literally ‘screams’ as the fish runs. Quigley knows what to do. He puts the boat in gear and chases the fish. My eyes almost pop when I look down at the reel and there are only about 3 wraps of line left! In seconds, the fish has run almost 300 yards of line. I reel as fast as I can until the line’s tight again and the fight’s back on. Non-stop excitement, boats all around us are getting strike after strike. On Quigley’s radio, we can hear the guides sharing information about their catches – “Double strike, 40 feet down!” They all share their success so everyone else can succeed too. Even when there’s a lull, and the fish aren’t biting, Captain Quigley is entertaining us. He teaches us his latest fish-luring chant and the accompanying dance: “Chinook, Chinook – Bite on my hook, my hook!” There’s never a dull moment on board. And when the fish are biting, Quigley is a very patient teacher: “Let him run! That’s it?? He’s got the whole boat to play with. Let him tire himself out??”

Later, Quigley tells us a story about the biggest fish ever landed on his boat. He had taken an elderly couple on an expedition, and it was turning out to be a disappointingly uneventful day – not one bite! Until they decided to turn back??. Then, all of a sudden, they got a nibble. It was a huge struggle, but with Quigley’s help, they reeled it in – a 52 pounder! Now that’s a really big salmon. It went on to win several categories in the fishing derby. We catch our limit long before the charter’s over, each fish is in the twenty-pound range. We had about 100lbs of fish on board, enough to feed us all winter! (We were fishing for spring salmon as the Coho and Sockeye fisheries were temporarily closed.) When I made dinner that night, back in Victoria, one fillet filled the grill on my barbeque! Five people dug in and there was 2/3 left over! We’re talking serious salmon here, folks! Small town, big fishing problem – right? Now you know.

Ron Kirstein is the owner of a Canadian Travel & Tourism Web site (since 1995). Ron has travelled the length and breadth of Vancouver Island BC Canada in search of adventures – see – http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/travelmagazine

“There must be a better way than this!” Jane muttered as she shuffled forward with all the other budget airline passengers. “After all it’s only a two hour flight, so why not make it just that little bit more comfortable, and not treat us like cattle?” Jane knew that it was a hackneyed expression, but said it anyway. It amused her as she thought of different names, such as Moove-over airlines, for the not so discerning traveller, and, Stampede Express, for the tourist who gets caught up in the rush. Jane must have laughed out loud as several enquiring and accusing faces glowered back at her. She could see them looking and shaking their heads in disbelief as she snorted with laughter! “Piggy Airlines, oink, oink, no free grub here!”

By now she was in convulsions, and only managed to stop when an over watchful security guard walked by and stared at her. “Threat to security too am I? Didn’t know that no frills meant no giggles too, oink, oink!” But, discretion being the better part of valour she shut up for fear of being kicked off the flight. The plane finally took off forty minutes late, with the pilot cheerily telling everybody, they would make up the time en-route. “Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.” Jane would have liked to have done so but found herself wedged in between two rather large people, who, as it turned out were travelling together. Jane thought. “Why on earth don’t they sit next to each other?” So she asked the lady if they would like to change places. “Oh no! We were on first, and this is where we stay, thank you very much. Besides Ronny has to have the aisle seat, as he always gets air sick!” Jane shuddered at the thought, and to try and take her mind off what might happen she began to read. But as soon as the seat belt sign went off, ‘Mrs Ron’ needed to use the toilet! It seemed to take ages for all three to get unwedged from their seats and in the scramble Jane’s book got trampled on, tearing its cover, and scattering several pages under the row in front.

Finally ‘Mrs Ron’ was free. But, just as she started down the aisle, the seat belt light went back on. The flight attendant, who looked about twelve, but with the authority of a sergeant major, commanded ‘Mrs Ron’ to return to her seat, ‘for her own safety, as we are about to come into some turbulence.’ Hastily ‘Mrs Ron’ did as she was told, but on her way back to her seat, managed to reduce the remainder of Jane’s book into a mass of unreadable waste paper. Jane gave a mirthless grin, and sighed, “at last, real pulp fiction!” as she closed her eyes to try to shut out her predicament. No chance there though! Just as she began to doze off, Jane got an elbow in her ribs. She woke with a start to see Mrs Ron delving into a large bag. Jane watched with interest as she rummaged deep into its seemingly bottomless interior, finally producing a foil pack that was literally bursting open with food. Mrs Ron leaned over Jane. “Pilchard and sweet corn sandwich first Ron?”

Jane groaned as Ron reached over, clammily grabbing the strong smelling sandwich, and devouring it in three big bites! “Mmmm, that was good,” he mumbled, “what’s next?” Mrs Ron passed him a large flaky sausage roll, which he proceeded to eat in the same fashion, that was until he inhaled a crumb, and began to cough violently, and in all directions at once! Jane got her share, and so did the man across the aisle, but as he was sleeping didn’t notice his newly decorated arm. Jane just sat there, unable to move, because Mrs Ron was leaning over her fussing around with tissues. “There, there, dear, shouldn’t bolt your food, that’ll teach you not to be so greedy.” Just then the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, we hope that you’re all enjoying the flight, you’ll be very pleased to know we’ve made up the forty minute delay, caused by congestion over Paris, and now we’re ahead of schedule, and should be landing in approximately thirty minutes. The weather in Barcelona is sunny and the temperature is 21�Celsius. If you look out of the windows you’ll see a lovely view of Southern France and the Alps, but please remain seated as there are some thunder storms ahead and we may experience slight turbulence, but there is nothing to worry about so please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight” Jane groaned. “That’s about the last thing I can do, I just want to get off, things can’t get any worse than this, I hate it!”

But she spoke too soon. Ronny leaned over to his wife and announced he felt ill! He reached for the sick bag, just in time, and it was all Jane could do to stop herself from copying him. But she held her breath, and her resolve, until slowly the nausea passed. This didn’t stop ‘Mrs Ron’s’ panic as she proffered more tissues to her ailing husband. Luckily the flight attendant was on hand with a damp cloth, and a replacement bag. For the rest of the flight a very pale looking Ronny sat there, seemingly glued to his seat, with the sick bag and damp cloth clamped firmly to his face. When they finally touched down, Jane breathed a sigh of relief, but all to soon. because no sooner had the plane come to a standstill Mrs Ron was up and trying to clamber over her to help her husband. The damp cloth landed on Jane’s lap, and the sick bag dropped onto the floor under her feet. It was awful, her worst nightmare come true. But Jane’s inscrutability stayed constant. Only a few more minutes and they’d be out of her life forever, or so she thought!

Jane hadn’t realised that the airport was about 90km from Barcelona, at least another two hours journey. She’d planned to meet up with her friend Helen in time for lunch, and would have liked the chance for a shower beforehand, but by the time the bus was destined to arrive there it would be mid afternoon. “Nothing I can do about it anyway” Jane shrugged, as she bought her bus ticket. “I may as well sit out in the sun ’til its time to leave” She propped her shoulder bag against a tree, and, using it as a pillow, closed her eyes, breathed in the airport aroma of aviation fuel, tobacco, and coffee, and listened to the sounds of activity all around her. The constant gentle drone began to relax her and she started to regain her composure from the flight when she heard it! She sat up straight and looked. There they were, “The two Ronnies” pushing an overloaded baggage cart towards the bus. Jane watched as the driver, who had been sitting on a bench smoking and reading his paper, slowly get up to help them with their luggage. From his gaze Jane could already see his contempt for them building up as they neared him. He helped them to stow their cases and watched as they climbed up into the hot and stuffy bus. They collapsed into opposite seats and began fanning themselves with newspapers.

Presently the driver started the bus to get the air conditioning going, and slowly it began to fill up. But Jane, being a ‘super-cool’ independent traveller remained sitting in the sun until the last minute! The driver signalled to her that he was about to leave, and to get on board. Jane stamped her ticket and found a seat, well away from the two Ronnies. The driver began to check the tickets and as he made his way towards the back of the bus she heard a familiar voice. “Two tickets please.” She listened as the driver explained :”You must buy your tickets in the airport building but please hurry as we are going now!” The two Ronnies barged their way off the bus, making a lot of fuss and complaining loudly. Finally, just as the driver was about to remove their luggage, they returned looking rather hot and flustered. Jane began to feel sorry for them, as they seemed very dejected and forlorn. But, her sorrow was short lived as they plonked themselves down heavily in the only empty available seat, right behind her!

Eventually they arrived in Barcelona and Jane got to meet up with Helen. Over a drink at a pavement caf� she began to recount her journey, the crush to get on the flight, the cramped conditions, her neighbours eating habits, and finally the long bus ride to Barcelona. Helen stared at Jane in disbelief. “That must have been pretty uncomfortable Jane, but I’m surprised at you. We’ve been friends ever since junior school, and I always thought that you had an eye for a bargain!” Jane stared at her. “What do you mean? I got here for less then �70!” Helen laughed. “Plus your food, plus the bus fare, plus no choice of seat, plus the crush to get a decent place, plus the hassle of cramped claustrophobic conditions. I reckon you must have parted with at least �100 to get here. Need I say more?” Jane splutteringly tried to justify herself. “OK Helen, how did you get here then, by magic carpet?” Helen smiled sweetly back at her. “I booked my British Airways ticket on line, it cost me �90.00 all in, I got the seat that I wanted, and a snack on the flight. Plus they fly directly into Barcelona, and not some distant airport. By travelling my way I got here quicker and have more time to do everything I want to! Taking all your extra costs in to consideration I reckon I got the better deal don’t you?” Jane pondered for a moment, but had to reluctantly agree, and as she mockingly poked out her tongue she replied. “OK, smarty-pants, you’re right, I think I’ve learned my lesson. The cheapest deal isn’t always the best. Next time, before I press the ‘accept’ key on my computer, I’ll do some research and check out all of the options including Thomas Cook. Now, come on! Finish your drink, and lets get sight seeing. There’s so much I want to see. Besides, see those two people hovering at the entrance?”

We mention the Trip Advisor survey in the side bar, but we thought you may be interested in seeing some of their key findings from a recent survey of over 3,000 travellers.

• Power vacations — We’ve heard of speed dating, now there’s speed relaxing. Eighty-three percent of travellers surveyed unwind in less than two days of vacation and 94 percent in less than four days.
• “Germaphobia”? — Americans seem to be twice as “germaphobic” as travellers from other parts of the world, and 22 percent of all travellers won’t leave home without one of the following: linens, pillow, disinfectant/cleaning supplies or shower shoes. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed travel with their own shampoo.
• Natural disasters — According to 85 percent of survey respondents, hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes are now a factor when choosing travel destinations. Sixty-five percent said natural disasters were not a consideration prior to the devastating disasters of the past year.
• Star struck — Celebrities do indeed influence travel planning. Sixty- five percent of travellers surveyed have been to a destination known to have celebrity guests. The number jumps to 70 percent for Americans.
• Leave your inhibitions at home — Forty-three percent of women, but only 28 percent of men, said they dress more daringly on vacation than they ever would at home.
• Real men go to spas — Visiting a luxury spa was the third most likely vacation activity in the next year, following sightseeing and shopping. What was most surprising is that men are almost as likely as women to pursue pampering.
• Rolling the dice? — Adventure activities topped gambling in popularity
• thirty-six percent of travellers are likely to participate in adventure activities, including heli-skiing, white water rafting and bungee jumping on their next vacation versus 33 percent who are likely to gamble.

TripAdvisor.com is leading global travel information and advice destination, with more than 2.9 million unbiased reviews and opinions and covering 200,000+ hotels and attractions. With more than 18 million unique monthly visitors worldwide (source see

I was looking forward to my first visit to Scandinavia. I had always wanted to visit Sweden but had been put off by the impression that it is really expensive and the desire to have better weather than at home when taking a break. Gothenburg is located on the south western coast of Sweden, at the mouth of the Gota River. As the plane descended toward Gothenburg City airport I had my first glimpse of Sweden. There was no sign of snow, but plenty of conifers and great views over the coastline. As I didn’t feel like rushing off the plane, I underwent a rather rapid acclimatisation as the end of the queue for passport control stretched outside in the icy blast. I donned the polo neck, hat and gloves before venturing out to find the bus into the city, There were a few people hanging around but no sign of a bus. I asked a young Swedish couple and they told the bus would not be there for over an hour. They asked if I wanted to share a taxi into the city with them. They were returning home from Carlisle, their place of study, for the holidays. Another young guy approached us, enquiring if he could share the taxi too, and he was a Swedish student from Edinburgh. The bus would have cost �4 but it was �6 for the shared taxi. I was glad to reach the city more quickly while it was still light.

My hotel, the Eggers, was just across from the railway station. It was originally built in 1859 as the railway hotel, yet although it was so central it was amazingly quiet. It was renovated in the 1990s, with the aim of maintaining its original charm. As soon as I stepped into the lobby I was in awe of the marble floor, the pair of Doric Greek Revival pillars and the chandeliers. My hotel room was understated elegance. It even had a small, tasteful chandelier. It was very comfortable, with appropriate antique furniture but also had a broadband internet connection!

I’d heard so much about Liseberg Park that I decided to visit on my first evening. Walking around the park made me feel more festive but in a typically understated Swedish way. It was really quite breath taking. All the 3 million promised fairy lights were white and most of them draped around every branch of the trees, which made them look surreal. It was tasteful commercialism. The park was full of families, the kids excitedly queuing up for a ride in the reindeer drawn sleigh and toddlers practising their ski moves on the gentle nursery slope. There were braziers dotted around the park, in case you felt in need of quick heat or had some nuts to roast. The log cabin craft stalls sold all sorts of food, drink, gifts and homeware. It was very cold and windy, making me glad that I’d packed my thermal underwear.

I had heard the hotel had a haunted room, so next morning, I asked if I could see it. The manager very kindly showed me the room and told me the story. This was where the original owners of the hotel, the Eggers, had stayed. A couple of years ago when a chambermaid entered the room she saw an elderly lady sitting in one of the chairs in the lounge area. The chambermaid apologised to the lady saying that she had not realised that the room was occupied. The head housekeeper was consulted and confirmed that the room was vacant. On another occasion, a Swedish journalist staying in the room was advised by the barman to take a glass for the ghost when she retired to the room with a bottle one evening. She duly poured out a glassful for the ghost and when she awoke next morning the glass was empty!

I was keen to go down to the coast at Salthomen, a half hour tram ride from the city centre. I had a 48 hour Gothenburg Pass (costs around �24 for 48 hours) which covered all public transport, including ferries to the nearby islands and free entry to most museums and attractions. As Tuesday dawned (at around 9am) bright and sunny, I decided I should get going. Instead of being organised and first checking the times of the ferries to the nearby islands, I walked around and did some minor rock scrambling and took some photos. There were lots of boats tied up and wooden jetties to walk along. When I finally made it to the ferry terminal, I discovered that the ferry service had a 2 hour lunch break. There was a ferry just about to leave for the nearby island of Branno, but I either had to stay on the ferry and come straight back to Salthomen, or stay on the island for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I wasn’t willing to chance so long on the island as it was very cold, and I wasn’t sure what cafes or restaurants would have been open on a weekday in low season. I was cursing myself, as at any other time of the day I could have spent an hour on the island.

On arrival back at the city centre I decided to try a Swedish buffet lunch at the Scandic Europa Hotel. It was a wonderful spread, soup, salads, cold meats, breads, three hot main courses and a choice of desserts, for 98 Kroner (around �8). I have to say that I did not find Sweden to be any more expensive than the UK. I believe that alcohol is more expensive than in the UK, but as I never drink alcohol that didn’t affect me.

Then it was off the quayside to see the new Opera House and the sunset from the top of the Goteborgsutkiken (nicknamed the Lipstick). I also wanted to visit the Viking Barken, now used as a hotel-restaurant, and have a look at the cabins/rooms on board. There were 2 and 4 berth bunk bed cabins with shared bathroom facilities, or larger ensuite cabins. However, the lipstick viewpoint/cafe is only open during the summer. Anyway, I was keen to visit the City Museum, which closed at 5pm. The museum houses most of the wreck of a Viking longboat. There is a modern recreation of the boat hanging above, which gives you a more accurate idea of the dimensions. One of my favourite films as a child was a romantic adventure film about Vikings, starring Kirk Douglas. There were some Electrolux cylinder cleaners on display, and seeing things that you recall as household items as a child in a museum was rather disconcerting! There was a room featuring a Jubilee exhibition in Gothenburg during the Twenties. One of the reasons for the exhibition was to show Sweden’s industrial might. It also looked as though there was plenty of entertainment, and there was even a cr�che where you could leave the kids for the day.

The plan for that evening was to visit the Design Museum, as it was late closing there. It seemed to be sensible to do outdoor activities during daylight, and the museums in the evening. I returned to the hotel for a cup of tea (very thoughtfully provided in flasks in the foyer for guests). I already had a cold when I left Scotland and after being out in the cold I could not face going out again. I lay down on the bed at 5.15pm and then next thing I knew it was 7.30. The Design Museum was open until 9pm, but I had a bath, went back to bed and slept until 8am on Thursday morning. Although initially pretty annoyed with myself, I felt so much better the next morning, I consoled myself by rationalising that it was better to lose an evening than to chance feeling awful all the next day.

After breakfast I walked to the Fish Market. It’s called the “fish church”, as the building in which it’s housed resembles a church. It was much smaller than I anticipated. Then it was up to the Tradgards forenignen park to visit the palm house and the butterfly house. I had visions sitting reading with these tropical butterflies fluttering by. It was not to be, as it was closed for renovation. I wasn’t sure which museum to visit that afternoon, but was recommended to go the Universeum, the science discovery centre. it was very imaginatively designed, with a recreated rainforest on several levels and a recreated Swedish landscape from mountain top to the seashore and below. There were also several floors of hands on activities. You could drive a Volvo lorry, design a model and get into nuclear physics (if so inclined). I couldn’t even manage to get 2 racing car models going with binary code! There are plenty of young enthusiastic multilingual guides at hand to explain things.

I did enjoy just walking around the city centre along the canal sides and through the narrow streets and the grand avenues. Gothenburg is a grand city in an architectural sense, very spacious. I’ve heard it called the Swedish Amsterdam. I think that this is a slight on Gothenburg, as in my opinion it is much more attractive and less commercialised than Amsterdam. As a lone female, I felt relatively safe walking around in the evening. There was very little litter around, no beggars or hustlers and a fairly obvious but discreet police presence. As soon as you approached a pedestrian crossing, the cars would stop. All the locals that I spoke to replied in good or excellent English and were very polite and helpful. I would call it an extremely civilised city, low key, sophisticated in an unpretentious manner, far from soulless and regimented yet orderly and relaxing.

Gothenburg can offer something for almost every taste and budget. Families are well catered for, most hotels have family rooms, there is the Liseberg amusement park and the Universeum (targeted at age 5 – 19). Kids under 17 can eat free at selected restaurants with the Gothenburg pass. The culture vultures have a plethora of museums and galleries to visit. The foodies can enjoy several Michelin starred restaurants and great choice of seafood. Nature lovers have the botanical gardens and the nearby coast and islands. Shopaholics have the largest covered shopping mall in Scandinavia. One of my sons tells me that there is a cool club scene there.

Gothenburg really does have it all. With the accessibility afforded by Ryanair flights (under 2 hours from Glasgow Prestwick) it is a great short break destination that does not, contrary to popular belief, break the bank. Many locals said to me that I should visit in the summer as it is lovely then. I enjoyed being there in the winter. It was dead quiet in the museums and the evening floodlighting was beautiful. There’s lots to do inside so your visit is not particularly affected by the weather. I was fortunate in my visit that it was dry all 4 days, although only sunny for one. Although the public transport is excellent, I did mainly walk around my ports of call in the city centre. It was too cold to stand waiting for buses and trams and I felt one sees more when walking around.

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

Trip duration: 63 days

Trip miles to date: 6,920

Miles since last update: 1,288

The week has passed quickly as I’ve enjoyed being back on the road after the extended lay up in Santiago. Having picked up the bike on the 18th (and being relieved of a very large amount of money from my friends at the BMW garage) I immediately left Santiago and rejoined the PanAmericana (route 5) north bound.

Just to get some miles under the wheels felt good enough, but the expense of the BMW dealership had returned a lot of comfort and peace of mind. The fact that they washed off the grime of the previous 5,000 miles also added to my sense of well-being. I still have reservations about the bike, I certainly don’t believe that nothing else will go wrong, but at least I’m confident that I can deal with it when it happens.

After travelling through the lush landscapes of the wine regions, the terrain quickly changed again as I approached the legendary Atacama Desert – no less beautiful, but certainly more dramatic. The greens turned to rusty browns and the temperature began to rise. First night stop was in La Serena, a pretty resort town about 300 miles from Santiago.

Before long I came across the much photographed Atacama monument. Essentially a hand cast in cement sticking skyward from the desert just south of Antofagasta. During the obligatory photo stop I incurred this weeks disaster (!). Whilst standing next to the bike for a self-timer photo, I watched the strong wind blow the tripod and camera over, straight down onto the lens of the camera – duly destroying the camera.

Extended travel by motorbike is tough on all equipment, things wear out very quickly but I felt this loss deeper than others as I had really enjoyed taking photos. I knew I would shortly be in Bolivia, where chances of getting a replacement would be slim until La Paz (the capital). So I changed plans and headed to Antofagasta for the night and managed to pick up a similar (albeit inferior) Olympus camera, which t least meant that the USB cable and software would already be installed on the small travelling laptop I’ve been using to create the web updates.

The Atacama is an extraordinary environment. It is officially the driest place on the planet with average annual rainfall of 0cms. As the sky is extremely clear and free from interference many countries and organisations choose to locate space observatories in the area – and I happened to pass close to the European Southern Observatory on route to Antofagasta.

The next day I left the main route 5 (The PanAmericana) but not until I had registered crossing the Tropic of Capricorn at 23d 70m S.

I then traversed the Atacama towards the Salar de Atacama – essentially a large dried up salt-bed. It’s a strange feeling leaving the relative security of the Route 5. I would now be on my own for the next 250 miles at the mercy of any mechanical mishaps. What I could control was NOT to crash (!) and to carefully manage my fuel consumption. I had filled the auxiliary 10 litre tank which would extend my range to comfortably make San Pedro de Atacama on the other side of the Salar.

As it happened, there was a steady trickle of trucks coming the other way, carrying salt from the state-controlled mine in the southern edge of the Salar. The photos cannot adequately show the terrain I was crossing and the sense of adventure and the feeling of remoteness and isolation.

This is EXACTLY what I envisaged when I planned this trip.

Before I reached San Pedro, I stopped off at the Flamingo sanctuary on the western side of the Salar and got my first chance to see them in the wild. The surroundings, the calm and tranquil environment and seeing these birds in their natural habitat made a big impact on me and I look forward to seeing more as I travel through the southern regions of Bolivia.

As if sent by a higher authority to reinstate my faith in Germans, whilst at the sanctuary I met with the Kirchhof family. Formally of Dresden, but now resident in Quito, Ecuador and taking a holiday around northern Chile. After a quick soda we exchanged details and they invited me to call them when / if I get to Quito.

San Pedro itself is a sleepy town catering primarily to tour groups and the backpacker industry. It consists of dusty streets lined with adobe buildings containing either restaurants or tour agencies offering excursions to the surrounding attractions. It was nice to stay a day and relax and get some latest information on the state of affairs in Bolivia and location of gas stops etc. A couple of agencies run 3 and 4 day tours into Bolivia, just 80 miles across at this point so I’m hoping they had reasonably up to date information.

Bolivia has endured a period of civil unrest in the past few weeks as confidence in the President and the level of exploitation from foreign owned energy companies has been called into question. Roads have been barricaded and there was a general strike that lasted 2 weeks.

A Venezuelan couple I met in Santiago had been instructed by the Bolivian border control to only visit La Paz – this about three weeks ago. Therefore it is entirely possible I will be turned away at the border and told to enter further north.

But in reality, I may never be in this position, with this opportunity again so I have to take the chance and enter tomorrow. Having talked to locals, and reviewing all the usual website updates (including the Foreign & Commonwealth website) I believe that the climate has cleared a little so I’m hopeful I will be able to enter.

If you want to know more about Greg’s travels, visit his website at: http://www.unbeatentrack.com/

We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of travel reminiscences.

It’s true, back in November, Mac met Prince Charles and his consort, Camilla aka Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. The British Embassy sent a van to pick up some of us World War II retirees for a wreath laying ceremony by Prince Charles at the WWII monument here in Washington DC.

I told the lady that was trying to get me to go that I did not feel well enough to go but she said “You don’t have to feel well” Ha. I did go and am glad I did. They gave us front row seats and the British military from embassy visited with us and then after Prince Charles presented wreath he walked around the perimeter to have the memorial explained and he came down the line to shake our hands.

His wife Camilla followed and then the British Ambassador, his wife and various British VIPs. I had heard you were not to speak to royalty until spoken to but the Prince put out his hand and I explained that the man next to me was 94 years old. He remarked how well he looked, thanked me for my service. Then Camilla put out her hand and told me her father had been in the military. Her face and appearance looked better than I had expected and afterwards I wondered if it had been her. The Prince incidentally was not as tall as I expected. I almost felt like I should apologize to Camilla for the remarks press made about how she dressed. A buddy of mine, wanting to be nice, said to her, “You have a nice hat.” What made this so funny to me is that I don’t think this friend pays any attention to how women dress. It does make us seem kind shallow to criticize how one dresses.

As for myself I like polyester clothes. They are comfortable to me but some look down on those that wear such. I am the world’s worst dresser. At 8l plus I dress for comfort and for survival. I wear a small backpack for medical stuff and survival stuff (granola candy bars etc) and always have too much in my pockets. People often ask me if I am going hiking. I say “No, just to the White House (joking) I recall some made fun of how Kruchev’s wife dressed when she was here. I thought that was impolite that time too. Ha! I do think it is unkind for the press and comedians to make fun of the way she dresses such as remarks she brought with her 57 frumpy dresses. I thought she was dressed appropriately besides she was nice to me. I told the British Ambassador and his wife about the Chelsea Pensioners (British equivalent to our Old Soldiers Home) visiting us and that I had visited them many, many years ago on my own. Everyone was very nice. Lets all be nice to each other!

I got the impression that they wanted Americans to like them. After the wreath ceremony at WW2 memorial, I looked at the wreath they laid. It had something about thanking WW2 veterans and was simply signed Charlie and Camilla. Or maybe it was Charles and Camilla. No title given and since the wreath was small it occurred to me that later visitors might wonder who this Charles and Camilla were. Ha! Who was this couple that spent their good money to honour WWII veterans??

Our group were impressed with how friendly and down to earth they seemed. You did not feel like you were speaking to royalty and they did not seem to mind that we spoke to them before they spoke to us. A friend said he told Prince Charles that he had visited the Chelsea pensioners in London and had gone out to Sandhurst (their West Point) for passing out ceremony (they refer to graduation as passing out). The Prince asked if he had a good time and remarked that his son was going to Sandhurst. (I thought they usually went into the Navy) To get back to the Charlie and Camilla we were all impressed with how much time they spent going down the line to greet us and how friendly they were. They won us over in their democratic behaviour rather than royal behaviour. Maybe they act differently in England where maybe Royal behaviour is expected.

If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com

Webmaster Paul notes that Ryanair now have air sickness bags and you don’t need to ask for them! The catch they look like a film mailer which is what they are as they are “dual purpose” so don’t get them confused if you stick some film in one.

The Belgian judiciary has accused Ryanair of forgery and fiscal fraud. Federal police in Charleroi have summoned two directors of the company, Michael Cawley and Bernard Berger, to answer questions about the allegations at the start of December. Ryanair is alleged to have used Wallonian government support to issue passengers with ‘free tickets’ in a promotional offer. The Wallonian region financed half of the ‘free’ ticket prices via the publicity firm Promocy, Francophone newspapers ‘La Meuse’ and ‘La Nouvelle Gazette’ reported on Wednesday. According to Wallonian Economy Minister Serge Kubla, the regional government’s contribution was half of the funding used to pay for advertising to promote the Charleroi Airport’s development.

Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary’s latest pronouncement is that he believes revenue from in-flight gaming and gambling could eventually replace the need to charge air fares. “Ultimately entertainment will be where the money is,” he told reporters, while answering questions about his plans to introduce gaming and gambling onboard, probably in 2007. “It would transform ancillary revenues and profits,” he said. “We’ll probably announce a gambling partner (company) in the next 2-3 months.” Ryanair gave away about a quarter of its seats last year and that figure could rise to between 50 and 100 percent depending on how ancillary revenues grow, O’Leary said

The World’s Largest Islands

Soure: http://www.xist.org/charts/nat_island.php

China's mainland will become the world's biggest supplier of tourists by 2020, according to a recently released report by CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

As many as 115 million Chinese mainland citizens are expected to travel overseas in 2010, higher than the World Tourism Organization's estimate of 100 million, the report said. Outbound travellers from the mainland surged 43 percent in 2004 to 29 million.

Rising personal incomes and the government's easing travel restrictions on individuals will contribute to the increase, according to the report.

In 2004, only 4 percent of China's urban population travelled overseas, leaving huge growth potential, the report said.

As 70 percent of mainland outbound travellers visit Macau or Hong Kong, their holiday spending will bolster stocks of Hong Kong retailers, European luxury goods firms and Macau gaming companies, the report said.

As many as 500 million people are expected to be allowed to travel individually to Hong Kong and Macau next year, up from 200 million this year, the report said.

Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers could be at risk from attack. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.

Leo Sheridan, 72, a respected accident investigator who has worked for government and industry, said he had received intelligence from sources close to the US government's marine fisheries service confirming dolphins had escaped.

'My concern is that they have learnt to shoot at divers in wetsuits who have simulated terrorists in exercises. If divers or windsurfers are mistaken for a spy or suicide bomber and if equipped with special harnesses carrying toxic darts, they could fire,' he said. 'The darts are designed to put the target to sleep so they can be interrogated later, but what happens if the victim is not found for hours?'

Usually dolphins were controlled via signals transmitted through a neck harness. 'The question is, were these dolphins made secure before Katrina struck?' said Sheridan.

The mystery surfaced when a separate group of dolphins was washed from a commercial oceanarium on the Mississippi coast during Katrina. Eight were found with the navy's help, but the dolphins were not returned until US navy scientists had examined them.

Sheridan is convinced the scientists were keen to ensure the dolphins were not the navy's, understood to be kept in training ponds in a sound in Louisiana, close to Lake Pontchartrain, whose waters devastated New Orleans.

The navy launched the classified Cetacean Intelligence Mission in San Diego in 1989, where dolphins, fitted with harnesses and small electrodes planted under their skin, were taught to patrol and protect Trident submarines in harbour and stationary warships at sea.

Criticism from animal rights groups ensured the use of dolphins became more secretive. But the project gained impetus after the Yemen terror attack on the USS Cole in 2000. Dolphins have also been used to detect mines near an Iraqi port.

Meeting news from our branches.

The November meeting took place back at The Church of Scotland, now that most of the building work has been completed.

Our first speaker was Tom Fremantle who endeavoured to follow in the footsteps of Scottish explorer Mungo Park down the Niger river. Tom's excellent talk took in some of the sights of Senegal, Mali, Niger and Nigeria including amazing African markets complete with Fetish stalls selling monkey skulls. We also saw the mud mosque at Djenne, which unfortunately non muslims are no longer allowed to visit the inside of. Tom was there while the African Nations cup was taking place, in small villages he would find hundreds of people crowded around a TV set, often cheering not for a particular team, but just because a goal had been scored! From Niger he showed us the Arbredu Tenere, a tree in the middle of nowhere that was once shown on the Michelin map, it has been replaced by a metal one after a driver managed to hit it. Tom crossed into Nigeria with some trepidation as the country has a reputation for lawlessness, bribery and corruption. Few tourists visit Nigeria, when Tom had collected his visa from the Embassy, he was told he would be the only tourist in Nigeria! He probably was, despite having to give the odd “present” he had a great trip.

After the break it was Amar Grover who gave an interesting talk with great photos of the Minorities in China. Amar explained that there are around 60 recognised minority groups in China and he began with the one known best in the west, the Tibetans. We saw Lhasa with the wonderful Jokang Temple, to which Tibetans travel for hundreds of miles to visit. We also saw the Stupas and Potala Palace. Amar explained that the Chinese are trying to change the make up of the populations in minority areas with more chinese, giving them tax breaks and other incentives to move to these regions. We saw Kazakhs and Uigars who are certainly more central asian than chinese, not only in looks, dress and customs but also in religion. Many still live a nomadic existence using Yurts. Amar showed us Uigar markets at places like Kashgar where old customs prevail. China now recognises many of its minority peoples, but cynics will say it has more to do with the income they generate from western visitors.

By Padmassana

3rd December, Terry Richardson will be talking about “The St.Paul's Trail, following St.Paul's footsteps through Turkey's Taurus Mountains. Visit peaks, canyons, lakes and ancient sites linked by a newly way-marked 500km trail.

co-author of Lycian Way and St. Paul Trail guides and Rough Guide to Turkey. See : http://www.stpaultrail.com/StPaulContent/aboutthewalk.html

After the break, Jonny Bealby will be giving a talk about Northern Pakistan. See: http://www.wildfrontiers.co.uk

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

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

Scotland has been a favourite holiday destination for many years and now it has a growing reputation as a favourite destination for couples from around the world to tie the knot. Here are the eleven main reasons:-

1 There are no residency requirements. Couples from anywhere in the world can get married in Scotland. You don't have to live here. You don't need UK citizenship. All you have to do is complete the necessary legal formalities and you can marry within 24 hours of arriving here.

2 You can get married anywhere – absolutely anywhere – in the country. On a beach, in a castle, up a mountain, in a hotel, by a loch… your choices are limitless.

3 You can opt for a civil or a religious ceremony. The civil ceremony is more restrictive as regards your choice of venue because they have to be licensed by the local authority. But there are now so many venues licensed for civil ceremonies that, in practice, you will always find somewhere to match your dream.

4 A religious ceremony, conducted by a minister can be held anywhere. I have known them to be held on boats, in lighthouses and even on cliff-tops! Obliging and occasionally daring ministers can always be found.

5 Ceremonies can even be conducted by non-religious celebrants, including certain officers of the Humanist Society.

6 The choice of venues is staggering. From sophisticated Glasgow to traditional Edinburgh; from the rugged, breathtaking beauty of the Highlands to the Ayrshire coast; from imposing castle to pretty little village church, Scotland has it all.

7 You can fly into Glasgow, Prestwick, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Inverness airports and be close to your wedding venue from the start.

8 So many people around the world have Scottish ancestry and love to search out their roots.

9 What better clothes to wear at your ceremony than the kilt, made especially for you in your own tartan.

10 And what better accompaniment as the bride enters the wedding venue than a Highland wedding tune played on bagpipes!

11 And after the ceremony, what better way to toast the health of the bride and groom than with a single malt whisky from a Scottish quaich in the country where it is made!

The truth is, there are lots of reasons for you to hold your wedding ceremony in Scotland. If you are in love, Scotland is the place for you. If you believe in romance, Scotland is the place for you. If you long for the mystery of the lochs, the glens, the castles and the mountains, Scotland is the place for you.

Charlie Taylor is one of the founders of Highland Country Weddings Ltd, a Scottish weddings agency with an international dimension. For more information, please visit