In the ghetto (Efate Island, Vanuatu)

Last night at dinner we could hear, what we thought were blackbirds, but they were nowhere to be seen. I've been hearing them since we arrived at The Havannah, that clicking sound they make when they land as they scurry off into the bushes. And then it dawned on me, dear reader; the clicking, chirping sound was not blackbirds but geckos. Oh yes, they sound like this. Imagine the noise from a distance without the echo. You can hear them all through the night (yesterday's title) which brings us to today's title, that classic song by Elvis. You can hear it here. I'm sorry dear reader? You don't see the connection? No, well, that's Jayne's famous sense of humour, she links the Elvis classic to the parody song Tim the Gecko. Enjoy. Or not.

Tim the Gecko

There were no thunderstorms last night, nor Sebastian the crab, trying to break free through the door. The only sounds were the waves on the shore and distant chatter of the geckos. They seem to have a lot to discuss. Maybe they're trying to predict the mid-terms in the once great, now grate, US of A.

Sunrise brought the sound of a boat motor as someone arrived at work, clouds and the eventual rain. The rain didn't last and was gone by breakfast. The weather pattern here is incredibly localised. We have watched quite severe storms ripping across other islands while we basked in sunlight. It is however an hour by hour proposition. Just prior to one rain cell terrorising us, I noticed what I assumed to be a large patch of coral to our south-west. It is just beyond where we snorkelled to yesterday and is on this afternoon's agenda should the rain clear.

Will it rain? Oh, yes.

Breakfast is the only menu that does not vary. The good news is they make excellent coffee - when the very tempermental machine decides to cooperate. A basket of pastries arrives with the fruit juice. It contains sourdough and regular bread toast as well as a pain-au-chocolat and croissant. The French may well have had an influence here but not enough for me to try their 'French' pastries a second time.

Looking into the villa from the deck.

The menu is quite varied, there is local fruit salad, bircher muesli and granola for starters. Then we move to the 'egg' section of the menu. Every Pacific island I have visited is fixated on eggs. And I, dear reader, do not like them. There is an exhaustive list of omelettes, pancakes, corn fritters and the like. Then, listed among the sides, bacon and roasted tomato. This morning I ordered some bacon and tomato thinking it would appear as a main with Jayne's corn fritters. But no. My sad, lonely single piece of bacon, kept company by half an oversized cherry tomato, arrived with my fruit salad. Interesting. Not sure I'll attempt that again, or maybe I'll be more specific. I ordered a second coffee while Jayne labored through her corn fritters.

The weather continued to be capricious, cloud with patches of rain, generally accompanied by gusts of wind. It was enough to keep us out of the ocean and in the plunge pool.

The deck and plunge pool where we spend a lot of time.

Wednesday night brings the fire dancers and the smell of kerosene. The clearer sky also brought a reasonable sunset. The fire dancers are the cultural entertainment at the 'Management Cocktail Hour' which came with neither cocktails nor management. However, there were some delightful canapes and assorted wines. The guests were all dutifully lined up on the sand below the restaurant. Fear not, comfort was considered and we were all in chairs or on day beds.

Sunset from the deck.

Sunset from the beach before the fire twirling.

The show was fascinating. I'm not sure how one becomes a fire twirler or even aspires to be one. We were both certain that Dan would have excelled at this job. Loud music, theatrical movement and the danger of fire; it was all Dan at 16 or 17, any age really. Anyway, spectacular it was and the show was thoroughly enjoyed - especially since we felt safe from the ubiquitous audience invitation to join in on other island cultural performances (usually designed to make visitors look very ungainly). We were pretty sure the activity indemnity we signed at the start of our stay did not cover suffering third degree burns. Jayne spoke with the people next to her and they had been snorkelling off the point earlier in the day and saw a turtle. That's on the list for tomorrow, after our beach picnic on Moso Island.

You can watch the fire dancers on youtube. 

When the fire went out it was time for dinner. Amuse bouche of ... I can't remember. We both had the same entrée of scallop and calamari. Jayne had the beef with a hollandaise sauce and I had spicy snapper for main. All dishes were excellent. Dessert was a choice of the cheese platter of soufflé. We both opted for the soufflé and it was good but there needed to be a 25 minute lead time. While this wasn't an issue, a little more thought into the week's menu might have made things easier to manage. They could have served the soufflé last evening when guests arrived at a variety of times and swapped the easily pre-made nougat glacé to tonight. That way when all the guests descended en masse after the fire twirling, at least dessert was made and some pressure relieved. Anyway, we were not in a rush so the brief wait for dessert was not an imposition on what was otherwise a lovely evening.

After dinner it was back to the plunge pool. What a life.

Until next time.

Heartbreak Hotel (Miltenberg, Germany)

Our time on the ship is approaching an end, dear reader, and although not unexpected, it is unfortunate. The climate change induced drought, gripping many parts of Europe, is increasing its impact daily. Pictures of dry river beds of the Loire, the Rhine and other rivers are unprecedented. Isn't that just the word to describe these times, unprecedented. I can't imagine the problems this is causing people who live off the rivers.

The fountain in front of the public toilets.

Today's post focuses on a town not originally a part of our schedule. As we are unable to navigate sections of the Rhine, we have stayed on the Main River. Disturbingly, the Main is also showing signs of distress and there is a significant algal bloom that has been with us for three days now. Miltenberg, a charming little medieval town was our destination, we arrived in the early morning, after sailing overnight which has become the pattern.

Too pretty

Miltenberg is literally a town that time forgot. The world moved on after the 30 year war and left Miltenberg alone, ensuring that modern development had minimal effect. During the 1300s, the original houses in the town were constructed totally of timber. A couple of hundred years later, the first floor of the older dwellings was rebuilt using a local stone. This gives rise to some amazing structures.

Has anyone got a spirit level?

The town is carved into a hillside on the banks of the river. Perhaps the first houses occupied the site of an old quarry. The largest wine cellar in the town is similar in style to a French cave, it is a tunnel cut into the rock that goes back into the hillside. The difference being that here, they are working with sandstone, not limestone.

There are the usual flood markers chiseled on house walls. Our guide remarked that when the town flooded, the water was trapped between the rows of houses and "the streets became canals, like Venice, only not as romantic". And then of course, there was the smell and the mud as after the water subsided.

The 1909 flood level

The construction of the houses followed a simple plan. The ground floor was often used to house the animals and the upper floors were residential. The front yard was walled in, not to contain a garden but piles of dung from the animals. Dung was also used in the construction of the walls and in fact was the most expensive component. Gives new meaning to the Australian expression 'shithouse'. The bigger the pile of dung in the front yard, the richer the peasant that lived there. That is not a competition I would choose to enter. I am sure it made the old town very aromatic.

Elvis stayed here. Yeah, I didn't care either.

Above the doorway of many of the houses is chalked a mark '20CMB22'. This is a blessing that is bestowed on your house by children who come around seeking donations on the feast of the Epiphany in January. If you give, they write the year around the letters that in Latin stand for "Christ bless this house" to bring good fortune whilever the chalk mark remains visible.

I wonder what happens if you don't donate.

In essence Miltenberg consists of a couple of streets, running parallel to the river. Most of the shops are hospitality focused, balanced out by numerous boutiques. It is  one of those little villages people flock to to eat and drink and waste time, people watching.

The view to the castle

The hotel that accommodated Elvis during the war also gives rise to today's title, Heartbreak Hotel from 1956 and here is the youtube link for a very special reader (you know who you are). On the sign hanging outside the hotel was, what I thought, the Star of David. Only to be informed by our guide that it was the beer maker's symbol. One religion for another. Prost, as they say here.

We all have a religion ... of sorts.

Years ago I discovered the French ability to frame everything like it was a picture. You'd turn a corner and there was a magnificent building. Turn your head as you walk past a laneway and at the end is a stunning view. I also learned that the French have a knack of destroying that same view. A trait that seems to have emerged in other parts of Europe, like Germany.

I guess it's garbage collection day in Miltenberg.

The rivers are the lifeblood of Europe, not just for the cruise industry. Although the low water levels have severely restricted shipping, there are still many barges plying their trade. The whole family lives on the barge with accommodation at the rear. It is here that the car/s and motor boat/tenders are stored. Children must attend school at least five months of the year and some attend a boarding school for periods of one month or more. There are special schools set up to cater for seafarers' children.

Barge life

Dinner tonight was a special dinner. Allegedly. The meals have been excellent all the way through. No buffets and a different menu every night. Anyway, after the special dinner, the head chef did the rounds of each table to see how we liked our meals. He then handed each diner a special sweet treat sort of like a Raffaello ball. Not sure if we would have received our treat if we had had not praised his culinary efforts.

They all seem to have nice cars.

We left Miltenberg in the afternoon and sailed to our next Main River stop, Aschaffenburg, arriving around 2am.

Until tomorrow.