The Shifting Sands

What is there not to love about a frutteria! After Antibes, the five of us squeezed into a hire car for the two hour drive to Finale Ligure on the Italian Riviera. Nothing cooler than walking or driving over a 4th century Roman bridge to go climbing each day For a change of pace from Le Club 55, we stayed at Valleponci Agritourismo an agricultural commune which included an agritourismo run by Georgio and his colleagues who I suspect are throw backs to the heyday of Italian socialism. The accommodation was basic but the food was excellent and mostly from fresh farm produce. There is no end of quality clinbing of different styles and at all grades. This was the view during our evening meal after an afternoon climb at Osteria Agora We were attracted to the area as the hills around the town were littered with limestone crags and over 6000 rock climbing routes yet we were a stones through from some really nice beaches whic

Lisbon definitely falls into the shabby but chic category. There is a real sense of dynamism here which seems to be a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, to start up costs and supportive government policies It should not have come as surprise to us that three days wasn’t enough time in Lisbon.  Both Lisbon and Porto have been Monocle’s poster children for urban gentrification and progressive local government.  This was combined the features of a one of Europe’s oldest but now faded trading empires: a beautiful port with a hilly shoreline; elaborate and still solid buildings constructed with the wealth of derived from international trade routes to South America, Africa and India; and finally a mix of ethnic groups that came to call Lisbon home. Lisbon is built on seven hills above a pretty harbour and this was a great opportunity for Kate and I to train for Corsica.  The narrow streets were home to lots of