Veronika Wild

Roof garden in the New Hostel overlooks the city For my last few nights in Portugal I was in a different hostel since my original one in the nunnery was now booked out. This was just as well, as my last bed up on the Third floor was more like a coffin in that it was enclosed on all sides and far from a window. Until now there hadn't been much point in booking ahead, because I really didn't know what I was doing other than flying back to Germany on the 14th and so far it hadn't mattered either, because I could just book another night, but not this time. The new hostel was at the Louis Vuitton end of town where the theatre and the plastic surgeons were, and much newer. All the bathrooms worked. There were lifts to every floor and there was roof garden with a bar on the 7 th floor.   The bed and the room were nicer too – little curtains instead of plywood panels and a table and a couple of chairs – all minimalistic, modern and in shades of white and grey and much less claustr...

 Perched on a hilltop, Obidos's castle is an imposing sight as I struggle up from the bus stop. You expect a dragon to appear at any moment The third place in my heart in Portugal goes to Óbidos, a quaint village still surrounded by a mediaeval city wall. Óbidos bills itself as “a land that chooses books and literature as its flag and is itself a best seller” and I would raise a (tiny) cup of cherry liqueur to that. In 2015 Óbidos (pop. 11,617) was chosen by UNESCO as its 51 st International Book City and was now right in the middle of its Folio Festival which runs for 11 days in October. During this time national and international authors, illustrators, musicians, poets and painters come to give presentations and workshops and mix and mingle with the masses. There are also concerts, exhibitions and cultural activities involving schools and community groups. The fact that it’s officially only an hour or so from Lisbon by car, as well as being a very attractive place in its own ...

A beautiful Tassie beach at the start of Summer. Our waters stay very cold until the first blast of summer heat. Now it probably looks like the beach below or even some of the ones in urban Sydney on Christmas Eve  - Thanks to Gordon S. for this photo Before I continue with the saga of Veronika’s Adventures and Misadventures in Europe, I just want to remind people quickly to take extra care this summer, especially when visiting Australia or Tasmania. Aussies have always loved their beaches during the long hot summer - This image is of Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia in 1911. St.Kilda Beach in Melbourne was like this in the 70's. Would hate to see either of them now. And yes, you can get into trouble, even in the midst of a crowd -Image with thanks to Kaye on Flickr  Since December 1, 43 people have drowned though not all of them at beaches. At least three bushwalkers have died in separate incidents in Tasmania’s highlands and in NSW, Water Police have had t...