Ekaterinburg's VirtualTourist Home Page

* Today, November 2nd I FINALLY got the HINI vaccine*

Because of worries about HINI I thought Oslo would be my last trip of 2009. Having a serious lung condition, I can't afford to risk getting flu and so my travel plans ground to a halt. But I've already had one flu jab and with HINI vaccination due on the 19th of this month, it looks like the travel ban is lifted. To celebrate I've booked two sets of flights : to Munich on December 14th with MR EK and to Amsterdam in mid-November for a quick solo trip to an old favourite. Christmas markets, a day in Salzburg, Vermeer and Rembrandt in the Rijksmuseum, wandering along misty canals............. suddenly the world is glowing again and I am in that happiest of states: full-blown anticipation. Europe is my favourite continent, especially in winter, and nothing makes me happier than immersing myself in its architecture and landscapes.

But right now, I'm enjoying a particularly crisp, golden Autumn in Cork and looking forward to the Jazz Festival and Film Festival, coming up at the end of October/first week in November

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Oslo is not the most beautiful city in the world and it has to be said that the weather in late summer leaves a lot to be desired. But despite almost constant rain and fairly unfavourable initial impressions, I found lots to like there. The galleries and museums are first class and there are lots of interesting and quirky neighbourhoods to explore. Every day I found myself warming to it a little more and when time to leave came I hadn't come near seeing or doing half of the things I'd planned.

My Oslo Page is FINALLY finished

Though lots of same -old, same- old in the Turkish resorts there was much that was fresh and different in the towns and countryside. We spent a week in the small resort of Bitez which was pretty and rural and very pleasant indeed. Dolmus trips took us to the market in nearby Bodrum and we made a few sorties into the countryside, plus a full day out to Ephesus. These small incursions into the interior were more than enough to whet our appetite for this very striking country where archeological remains are spattered round the landscape almost as profusely as vegetation and little touches of the exotic are never too far away.

Getting back to Turkey, this time to Istanbul, Cappadocia and the east is very high on my list of travel priorities right now. But if this doesn't work out, a cheapo package to the Marmaris/Dalyan area would be quite acceptable too. Wherever you end up in Turkey, there are interesting things to see and do, friendly people and really diverse landscapes. Just try not to end up in Kusadassi !

Euromeet in Cascais rolled round on May 26th bringing the opportunity for a return visit to Portugal. Faro in February had made a huge impression but Lisbon was a whole other experience. I spent two days here before going out to Cascais and for me they were the highlight of Euromeet 2009. On Wednesday morning the Pied Piper,aka Gabriel ( Solodancer), led his willing followers for that day,(myself, Lorraine ( lorraineniece ) and Michael ( Globetrott) ) on a down-up, up-down, occasionally circular, odyssey round Lisbon. And yes, it was definitely an odyssey, not a tour or a walk. Seeing a city through the eyes of someone passionately in love with it is a rare and precious experience and one that leaves a lasting impression.

Tumbling down from the Bairro Alto, lazing along Rossio and Rua Augusta, then soaring upwards to Alfama in the yellow hurtle of the 28 tram, Lisbon unfolded before us like a quilt that had just been shaken vigorously. In lieu of a siesta, we spent the hottest hours cloistered in deep shade at the monastery of Sao Vicente, a treasure trove crammed with Azulejos, precious sacred objects and views over The Tagus. Emerging around 4.30, the labyrinthine streets and alleys of The Alfama were slipping langurously into relaxed, late afternoon-early evening mode. A perfect time for setting off to explore, ending up back where you'd started and starting all over again. Plenty of time to wander aimlessly, stop in this shop for some fruit, in that one for cool drinks or pastries and finally a long, chatty dinner. It's frequently pointed out that it's easy to romanticise The Alfama but in my opinion it's impossible NOT to romanticise it. The crumbling walls, peeling paint and shabby tiles, speak directly to your soul. Not to mention the Pablo Neruda poem, scribbled on the side of a house, the young men playing cards, old women sitting passively on their steps, babble from upstairs windows and plaintive songs from the cages of little feathered captives.

Coming back downtown might have been an anticlimax, had we not had the tram to ourselves and the childish thrill of leaning out the windows fanned by a cool evening breeze. We celeberated by going to Estrella at the end of the line, all the time seeing and experiencing more of the sights, sounds and smells of Lisbon. A last, long walk up nightime Rua Augusta to Placa de Restauradores, perpendicular chug on the Funicular Gloria and at last, home to Pensao Londres and the Jacaranda -filled Rua Dom Pedro. A day possibly made in heaven but facilitated by someone very much alive. Thank you Gabriel !

Art, artists, galleries and associated activities play quite a large and important part in my life. This addiction started eight years ago when I did my first European Art History Diploma. Study finished after two years but the passion remained and travel especially, has become frequently focussed around galleries and public art spaces in the various cities and countries I visit.

Last September I started on the Art History trail again, this time a degree course by the long and pleasurable route of module by module. Another qualification is not the objective here but hours of pleasure spent with like-minded people in an atmosphere I find both stimulating and nurturing. Two weeks ago, we did a gallery trip to London, taking in all the permanent collections as well as the huge Baroque exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The main galleries in London are situated in one or two clusters and tips and a column about them will be appearing on VT soon.

My latest passion is for whodunits. I read constantly and widely but had come to this advanced age without ever reading a detective novel. To be honest I kind of looked down my nose at the genre and passed briskly by when I came upon them on the library shelves. Enter Henning Mankell and his Swedish Detective, Kurt Wallander and this prejudice was wiped out instantly. If you're not a fan of Mankell dash out immediately and get one of his Wallander books. Not since reading Nancy Drew mysteries one after the other at the age of 10, have I had this sense of expectation and sheer pleasure in reading. In the past month I've read 7 and am combing all the local libraries for the last two titles in the series. These books have a huge travel dimension. Set in Skane in Southern Sweden, the sense of place and feel for the countryside and local towns is tangible. Ystad, where all the action takes place has become a place of pilgrimage for Wallander fans and by the end of book no 5 I was hellbent on getting there myself. Fate and Ryan Air scuppered my plans for now and by some strange turn of events I've ended up going to Oslo instead. Oslo has its own very readable set of whodunits by Anne Holt and I'm currently getting an advance feel for the city by ploughing my way through these. Not up to Wallander standards unfortunately but also excellent for sense of place .

I don't expect this Whodunit phase to last for long but while it does I anticipate many more happy hours in the garden with my sunlounger and Inspector Wallander for company.

2008's most memorable trip for me was definitely the VT Worldmeet to Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, Dead Sea, Masada and Arad. It was a lifetime's dream come true, especially the Saturday jeep trek through the desert.

This trip took place in a large truck with a roof and bars to hold on to while we were flung from side to side climbing over hills and dunes. I had the bruises to show for weeks afterwards but wore them like badges of honour

The other highlight of last year's travels was finally visiting Switzerland, staying the night in Interlaken and catching the cable car up to the unspoiled mountain village of Gimmelwald. This happened as a side trip on my way home from Euromeet 2008 at Karlsruhe. VT has certainly been a huge catalyst for me in terms of travel. The opportunity to meet up with people you know, right round the world is one of the major perks of being a member of this site.

Heres' to VT meets one and all and especially looking forward to 2010, a marathon meet taking place in Krakow, plus onward trips to Lviv in The Ukraine and Sibiu in Romania. Also included is a Pre-meet in Vienna and Bratislava, so a truly superb lineup giving the opportunity to re-visit old favourites like Vienna and Krakow plus the challenge and excitiement of visiting Ukraine and Romania for the first time.

Art doesn't just exist within the confines of galleries and museums. We live in a world saturated with visual culture and enjoying the street art of different cities and culture is a huge pleasure of travel. Graffiti and street murals are the most obvious examples of this but there's so much else. The window displays that make you stop in your tracks, the architectural details on public and private buildings, quirky things like unusual door knockers, patterned street paving, monumental advertising hoardings, examples of graphic and interior design, even personal fashion statements ? Art is everywhere and opening our eyes and minds to the colourful and creative things that enhance our surroundings, is one sure way to enrich our daily lives.