It’s been another busy week aboard Australis 1.   A new post from NZ is also online. http://www.gratisaustralis.com/a-walk-a-dinghy-ride-oneroa-bay-paroa-bay/    

Well, here it is! With the aid of books by Tom Sommers (http://eurocanals.com/), the initial route planning options for our 2017 tour through northern Germany and the Netherlands is completed. By Car: Mecklenburg Lakes in first Gratis, then Little G2 Canal River Route Take 2 through the Netherlands.   Take 3 Distances.  

Click to view the map showing our trip through Canal du Midi to Sicily.

Preparing this year’s route from Spandau, Germany to Basel, Switzerland. We thought the mapping for last year was a bit tricky. Working out the best route through Holland and Belgium is even more difficult! It turns out, the shortest route is heading upstream via mostly rivers. Hmmmmmmm!!!!!!!! Maybe not the fastest after all. Need to […]

Yep! We have christened the van. In keeping with ‘Big G’, the it is now officially ‘Rolling G’. We are still thinking about a name for the pajero. A few quick snaps with the phone! There are times that one has need to travel some distance to find what they are looking for. With the local […]

For people with dietary issues, be aware! During our first 24 hours in this region of Poland, we discovered it became increasingly difficult to source wheat/gluten free foods – often its meaning wasn’t understood. Scrambled eggs, sautéed grilled meats and so forth will most likely contain the ingredients. It was best to keep to the plainest of […]

Some years past, my (Karyle) father had commenced researching his family tree and arrived at a dead – end on the eve prior to their point of departure at Hamburg, Germany. Basic information – such as birth dates and place of birth – on the family members that made the journey was gleaned from the […]

  Another lazy start that eventually found us moseying through the Black forest for the last time: low cloud, left over from last night’s rain enshrouded the hills. Mountain wildflowers decorated the countryside – a gentle contrast to the greens – rain seemed to have brightened them. Moss decorated tree trunks, beautiful in the soft […]

  Freiburg im Briesgau is a town that ‘calls to me’, and was a place that I wished to share with Bob. Disappointingly, a chill morning in which rain fell, meant fully exploring the township of didn’t happen: we so don’t do well in the cold! The tourist on foot has the opportunity of entering […]

There was a slight chill to the air when we arose at the crack of dawn. There was method to our madness: viewing the Matterhorn in the glow of the rising sun. Bob attired in shorts, t – shirt and fleecy windcheater, and myself in leggings, skirt, sleeveless top, long sleeved top and fleecy windcheater, […]