pedroswift's VirtualTourist Home Page

No quotes from rich and famous travelers.: just one from my daughter after we took her to Paris for a week and London for a week to mark her 21st birthday.... "All you guys do is eat, drink and look at things!"
Travel is that simple! Or is it?
Not quite! For my wife and me, it's selective "looking, eating and drinking". The hours of research before leaving home are rewarded with silver and golden experiences on the road. Would the hair on the back of my neck have stood on end as I climbed the steps of the Porta Nigra in Trier if I had not spent some time reading about the History of Trier? A little bit of knowledge turns a pile of rocks into a semi-religious experience!
Would I have shed a tear in the Alamo had I not read James A Michener's "Texas" before the trip?
So do the homework and reap the extra enjoyment. What a marvelous resource VT Travel Guides are for we avid holiday researchers!.. (Obviously under-utilized if some of the ill-considered questions on the Forum are any guide. Having typed that, I'll probably ask one myself without looking in the Travel Guide section first!)
eg. For Paris, France and other places one can't go past BeatChick with her links to many other enlightened travellers. Also Pedro, pedmar who's in Paris every day.
For Rome lacristina & mccalpin for Rome & Italy pages. see air/rail transport on Bill's(mccalpin) Italy Page. see all of Bill's Rome tips.
For general travel tips Gonzo Tips are priceless! Thanks to vter K-nalla for the link.

I hope I can refrain from duplicating the multiple tips to be seen on the VT site. I hope I can be factually correct with what I write. Please e mail me if you find something you Know is incorrect. You don't believe everything you read on the internet....do you??
I'll try to concentrate on restaurant reviews which have not been done before. Sticking to the positive unless the place is a trap for the unwary.
Other stuff?? Maybe some unusual esoteric stuff that no one else will be remotely interested in as long as it has not already been done to death on VT!
I'm not a twitcher so don't expect to see lists of places I've visited neatly ticked. I don't think I'll be highlighting counties on the map we have visited unless I can supply fresh tips. The only list I'm likely to publish on my pages is one of all the "Cheval Blanc" pubs/bistros in which I've had a drink. OK! I will admit I've published a map with all the states we've visited in the Good Ole USofA

Forum Postings: Hope to encourage "mouse plus nous"...why answer a question with a trite answer if giving a source of info that can be bookmarked for future reference will help the op become self reliant. Of course, when posting a carefully crafted answer embodying this philosophy, I know some "goody-two-shoes" will post : " The train leaves from platform 29a at 2345 daylight saving time during leap years and costs 34 US dollars & today's exchange rate is .44444 recurring.".....thereby spoon feeding the original poster ! grrrrr grrrr!
Thanks to Julie, travelmad478 - For this link: www.lmgtfy.com - the perfect answer to all those inane Forum Questions that you just hate!

I promise to review all my pages every once in a while to correct missing/incorrect info or non functioning links.
In keeping with that pledge,from mid 2008, I've started to include Google Earth derived latitude and longitude for locations in tips and main pages where appropriate. All care no responsibility re accuracy. Don't feed coordinates into your auto pilot and fly hands-off!!?? (Using Google Earth for this purpose has revealed how disorientated a lot of people are. Many of the posted photographs are miles from where they were taken.)

Latest Additions or Changes to my Pages

October 2009

After being rudely awoken too early every morning for a week or more, I added a video of the culprit to My Brisbane Page - "visitors to my back garden"

New restaurant review: the boroughs on Redcliffe Peninsula at Scarborough

September 2009

Added What to do Tips on Fraser Island Page plus a travelogue on Eli Creek

New Toowoomba page with Restaurant reviews Gips Rest. & Veraison Rest. plus Things to Do: Milne Bay Military Museum

New: Marburg Coffee Stop on the road to Toowoomba from Brisbane

Added tips on Accommodation at Cathedral Beach to Fraser Island Page

Shopping for duty free inbound at Australian ports on Australia page.

We keep going back. Not just to Paris : but to the lesser tramped areas.
Why France? Probably because we learnt French at school and when we took that initial trip to Europe naturally enough Paris was the first stop. We have never recovered from the thrill of that first encounter. Each visit evokes the emotions felt over a quarter of a century ago. You may wish to check out generic tips on France especially if you are planning a road trip.
Being nautically orientated, we have taken to the inland waterways as a way of seeing some of those lesser known areas. I can recommend canal cruising. See some stuff on canal life on Bourgogne Page

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Smell the Roses

Best Advice to tyro travellers -

Get a map! Before you go: not when you arrive! Down load and print or better still buy a Michelin , Bartholomew or Auto Club (etc) map.
When consulting your new map check out the "scale". This will help you understand the distances between cities. If you know the distance you may then guess the driving time. So often new vt posters ask questions like, "During my 3 day stay in Paris, can I drive to a nice beach for lunch and get back to my hotel in time for dinner?" A map could have saved the query. (but maybe not!! sob!sob!)
Don't neglect the web based navigational sites such as Mappy dot com which can provide you with a driving itinerary complete with road signs, distances, directions, times, road tolls (the lot). Also viamichelin.com (but like a lot of French web sites they spoil what was a good site by trying to be too "cute"). One feature of Mappy you may like - Get a map of the town you want - click the graphic of the fuel bowser in the top-right box. Mappy displays locations of garages on a map & lists current fuel prices at each place in order from the least expensive. How good is that?
Keep a Journal. Don't be one of those switched -off travellers who can not even recall what cities they visited on the big trip!!!Madam uses Travel Diary by the Book Company which is aimed at Australian & New Zealand users. She records the financial expenditure, daily temperatures & general weather as well as where and what. Tips on what to take next time are there to be consulted prior to the next trip!!
Never Ever make an overseas call from your hotel room. Learned the hard way on first trip to USA. 40 bucks charged without making a connection home!!?? see other VTer's stories.
Dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s. Take out Travel Insurance. Read your home country's government advice on travel. 10 tips from Australian Foreign Affairs Dep to add to my 10 tips in Travelogue below.
Don't lose your inquisitiveness! Take the time to ask the questions that arise from your observations during your travels. Ask the locals "What?"; "Why?"; "Who?" eg one question I just had to ask when I first saw the For Sale signs in USA :"What the heck is a Night Crawler?"
Stop to Smell the Roses. Don't go rushing around like a blue-arsed fly trying to fit as many famous sites into your day as you can. Take a day off to smell the roses; visit a quiet backwater; watch the local football team play on Sunday afternoon.

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Go for it

Do it while you Can!

"Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive."

Don't put it off "until you retire". That could be too late!
Says he who, since retiring, has had two visits to orthopedic hospital wards. One after spinal injury & one after ankle broken in three places. Luckily no long term reduction in mobility suffered. However the experiences have reinforced that adage "Do it while you can!!"

Fellow travellers , especially females, wishing to delay the onset of "when you can't" might like to ensure that they obtain the recommended intake of calcium. Supplements may be necessary if normal diet does not provide enough. Will a "cheese crawl" through France every second year be enough to prevent osteoporosis in my old bones?

Another health matter overlooked by tourists:
Did you know there are over 60 diseases, some fatal, transferable from birds to humans? Avian flu or West Nile virus, histoplasmosis and Cryptococcus are some. I'm always appalled to see people playing with, touching or being sat upon by birds in city squares around the world. Be wary. A friend nearly died from Cryptococcus possibly contracted riding trains in China in which chickens had been transported on a regular basis.

If you come from Brisbane, most other places are cold!? Many experts advise one to take clothes so one can "layer against cold". eg Thermal u/wear, three layers of this or that. I disagree!(to a certain extent).
For city tourism, London & Paris in Winter for example, we prefer to take one heavy jacket/coat to suit the outdoor temperature conditions Plus light-weight rain & wind-proofing (folding umbrella & gortex jacket). IMO there is Nothing Worse than going to a department store, museum or taking public transport, all of which is invariably overheated, and not being able to remove clothing. (can one remove thermal underwear for example??) Taking one heavy coat off is easier than peeling through the "layers".
Very important is choice of foot wear. Forget joggers. Get water proof boots. Wear two pair of sox &/or insulating sole liners. My lasting memory of a winter visit to Paris is the cold pavements and my freezing toes!! Paris average temperatures in Jan - min 1ºC: max 6ºC.... but minus 15º has been recorded.....the pavement stays frozen for most of the day so Don't skimp on the footwear ... and the Rain Jacket!!

Preparation for the Trip
should include consultation of astronomical tables. No ...not astrology : astronomy!. Check out time of sun rise and sun set. Angle of sun above the horizon and direction at mid day may influence the direction you choose to take during road trips. See example on my Australia Intro Page.
Aussie visitors to Europe/NA during our summer ie their winter may wish to factor into their travel plan the reduced hours of day light(typically from 0830 to 1730) as well as the cold temps.
Your "significant other" may think more highly of you if you arrange that waterfront dine out night to coincide with moon rise. "How romantic, darling?"
I check tide times, as well, even if I'm not boating or fishing. The difference between high tide and low tide is vast in lots of places around the world. Could affect your photos of a place. Or the above mentioned waterfront dinner, "The mudflats are smelly tonight my dear - but the moon looks nice!" Or have access implications. Visiting St Michael's Mount? Driving on beaches on Fraser Island?.....check the tide table first!

Check the Calendar for Public Holidays Be aware of dates of public holidays ..... services may be curtailed or nonexistent. Some tourist site may not even open.

Driving a Car in Big Cities?? Check for exclusion zones in all the cities you hope to visit before you leave home. Ignorance is no defence after you get the €140 fine in the mail 2 months after you get home!!!! For example: London, Rome, Florence all have 'no go areas'. Better still, plan visits to such cities without a car!!!

Do you have a passion? Music? Literature?History? Sport? Hobby?
Why not give your holiday a focus by concentrating on one (or more) of those passions or interests?
Example: Golfers (& I'm not one) would have to see the Ryder Cup and play at the Holiest of the Holy - The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Literature buffs have to do the Da Vinci Code circuit! Opera Buffs: La Scala?? Are you passionate about bicycling?see Nemorino's Opera pages & tips on bike riding in Paris and elsewhere.
We start our travel plan with the esoteric "interest" driving the route to be taken and providing major stopping points.... from there we research a wider range of other activities to pursue. We research the regional food specialities*: the wines: special events on the entertainment/sporting calendar etc. End result is a comprehensive plan with "not to be missed" places/events highlighted. * Patricia Wells, "Food Lovers Guide to France" &"Food Lovers Guide to Paris" for example.
Not spontaneous enough for you? Plans are meant to be broken! I hate to pre-book accom. I'd rather have the flexibility to take a side track on a whim or a suggestion from a local or a fellow traveller!

Often asked in Forums - Where can I go? and what do I see? and in how much time?? I have a couple of road trips of Australia + Sth Island & North Island NewZealand + France + USA with distances travelled ; overnight stops ; Eating places ; and highlighted touristic places on my travel pages. Including:-
State of Tasmania
State of Victoria An Itinerary of Northern Victorian Winery Tour via Yarra Valley. Itinerary of Ocean Road and More - Ballarat, Ocean Road, S.A. Limestone Coast, Coonawarra, Grampians and dresscircle Victorian Wine Regions.
New Zealand Itinerary of two weeks road trip of NZ South Island excluding Marlborough area - Christchurch to Christchurch plus 12 day Northland Eastland road trip.
State of New South Wales NSW South Coast - Canberra - NSW to QLD with Central NSW and Eastern Victoria thrown in.
Loire Valley France 6 day road trip. also Spain-Portugal 2 week Road Trip
USA 14 day circumnavigation of Lake Michigan ; 16 day Chicago-Black Hills/Mt.Rushmore-Chicago; 21 day Western States National Parks & more; 14 day Canadian Rockies & North West USA

A comment on costs of latest road trip: Cost of Road Trips in Oz (before fuel prices rose!)

Packing. Ideas on washing clothes on the run to keep luggage under 15 kilograms & other packing & security matters - packing tips

Avatar : Personal Photo or PPP: "Pedro 1985". Pedro Ximénez (HEEM-en-ay) also known as "PX". White Spanish grape producing an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry. So I lied about the "Port"!? Who cares? It tastes luscious & the picture reflects my first listed Travel Interest "wine tasting".