Travelling Belgium to France's Provence

Had a great trip with my friends Keith & Kristen, plus their daugher Monica & her boyfriend Marten. The drive took most of two days - through the eastern part of northern France, then into the Auvergne and finally to a farmhouse about 10 kms. outside Arles, a great destination in itself. Here are some responses I had during this part of the trip --- great roads & rail systems, intensive agriculture and several highly industrialized cities. Given the relatively dense population, compared to Australia, there probably would be a better tax & productivity base to support this type of infrastructure. Impressive nevertheless. Another feature that impressed me -- the pleasant interaction we had with people in shops, in the markets and just those we met. Mind you - having two very fluent French speakers certainly helped --- I'm not in that category, being limited to reading signs and headlines.

Bali

Loved Bali - nice people, exotic location and great place to visit with my friend Charlie.