Sarah, an Aussie from Canberra has sent an update on her European adventures.  She says: I have spent a few weeks travelling by myself in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hungary. In Italy I went to Venice, Florence, Siena, Lucca and Sam Gimignano (which I still cannot spell) and Trieste. Loved Venice, as you know, and other highlight was the Tuscan hills outside of San Gim. I could have sat there watching the seasons change, the hills are so enchanting. Went ambling through grape vines and olive trees for that authentic experience. Will be looking for a job squashing grapes in a small Tuscan village after I have finished working on a ferry in Venice.

If you are ever in the region it is extremely worthwhile to do a little circuit around the Balkans, where the hordes of tourists that populate Italy have not yet penetrated.  Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia is a quaint old town with a wonderful range of cafes and beautiful old buildings among the willow trees on the river bank. A day trip away is Bled, home of my favourite castle for this trip.  Perched on a cliff overlooking a deep green lake with an ancient monastery on an island, sheltered by the surrounding Alps.

Then I caught the ferry from Rijeka in Croatia down the coast to Dubrovnik.  Slept on the deck with the smell of salt air and the warm breeze to lull me to sleep.  The coastline is stark, with weather bleached rocks and sparse vegetation, the darker green of coastal conifers. And the water is so clear azure at the shore and a deep blue as though someone spilt ink where it's deep.  Wandered the old town of Dubrovnik, enclosed by fully in tact city walls and escaped the heat to an island 10 minutes away, with rocky beaches and a deserted fort to clamber in and imagine where the old cannons would have been fired from the crumbling walls. 

The hot sun on the ground creating that smell of dried leaves and warm earth that is so intoxicating and evocative of summer. A chance encounter with some English lasses – the Beetle! – (and a few bottles of wine) and I was off to Sarajevo. A contender for my favourite city in Europe.  Certainly the most interesting if not the most beautiful.  Minarets and church spires share the skyline and the architecture tells the stories of all those different periods of history from Turks to Austrians right up until the recent war.  Shrapnel marks still scar the pavement and buildings are pockmarked with bullet wounds, and yet the cafe lifestyle is thriving and thelocals delights in strolling up and down the pedestrian walks each balmy summers night. 

The tunnel museum tells the story of the tunnel, the only link between Sarajevo and free territory during the siege, and locals will tell you their stories of how they lived during the war.  A place with a long and interesting history currently transforming and adapting itself once more. Next stop was Zagreb for my birthday.  A stately city with many fine buildings and yet more cafe lifestyle.  Friends joined me and we celebrated my 103rd birthday by watching some crazy French street performers doing a comical version of the magic flute, complete with soprano and brass ensemble and full audience participation. 

The other highlight of Zagreb was the annual animated film festival, for something a bit different.Another long un-air-conditioned train trip later and I was in Budapest to meet another friend, wondering how many times I would have to revise which is my favourite city in Europe.  Rightly compared with Prague, the most beautiful feature is the palace, castle and parliament buildings along the river, that along with the bridges are beautifully lit at night. We went to a small town on the Danube bend and climbed to a castle before catching the boat back down the river to Budapest.  Spent a lovely day at the hot baths, and then enjoying a long meal on the river front as the sun set on another beautiful summers day. And now I am in London. 

The last four weeks of this trip will see me dashing around the UK, catching up with friends and family. I will also go to Scotland, having been unsuccessful in obtaining a visa for Russia as well as to Ireland for a few days for a South American truck reunion and to see some more family. 

If you'd like to contact Sarah, her details are: sarahguise@hotmail.com

In last month's e-newsletter, we talked about Spain demanding Gibraltar back from the British, and how odd this was when they themselves had two territories in Morocco, (Ceuta and Melilla) that the Moroccans would like back. 

You may have noticed in the news that a couple of weeks ago, on July 11^th, a small band of Moroccan soldiers landed on the unoccupied Spanish owned, but jointly claimed Island of Perejil (Spanish) or Leila (Arabic) or Parsley (English) – unoccupied but for goats, that is, and just 25 metres from the Moroccan shoreline. 

They set up tents and put a Moroccan flag.  The arrival was said to be to celebrate the King of Morocco's wedding.  About a week after that, Spanish troops arrived on the island, escorted by full naval battleships and gained control from the Moroccan army.  Now the Spanish troops have withdrawn from the island and all is well again: foreign ministers of Morocco and Spain have finalised a US-brokered (the EU was snubbed in helping here) resolution to their dispute over the Mediterranean island of Perejil.  Although both countries claim the island, Spain says it had an understanding that neither side would erect a permanent camp there.  The return to the status quo does not mean that Morocco has given up its claim to sovereignty of Pereji.

Morocco was also hoping to take the opportunity to talk about all the issues of contention between the two countries.  These include the Western Sahara, clandestine immigration and fishing, as well as the future of the Spanish sovereign enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.  Spain said it was willing to talk about anything except the enclaves.

Under a bridge in a vast city dominated by a powerful empire, lives a giant troll. A short walk from the beast's dark hiding spot stands a statue of a faraway leader where the locals drink a potent brew for stamina. This is not a hobbit town in Middle Earth. This is Fremont, a suburb of Seattle, the self-declared Centre of the Universe.

Since the Centre of the Universe was 'discovered' in 1991, Fremont has become known for a growing collection of public art that all manages to live up to the official motto, De Libertas Quirkas, or Freedom to be Peculiar.

On a cold, grey day in April, a six block walking tour is a great way to exercise the body and mind.  I walked east from the colourful signpost that points to the major attractions, 'LENIN 2 BLKS' in ochre and 'ATLANTIS 663 FATHOMS' in aquamarine.  A block from the sign is a cold-war missile that once adorned the side of a surplus store in nearby Belltown. Now painted with the crest of the Fremont republic, the 'Rocket' is lucky to be there at all. The first attempt to erect the rocket in 1993 failed, allowing the locals to make a joke about the committee not 'being able to get it up'. The rocket was finally installed in time for the 1994 summer solstice and the liberation of Fremont.  

A short walk north from the Rocket, amongst the pink blossoms, next to the 'Taco Del Mar' sign, is a 16 foot bronze sculpture of Vladimir Lenin. Weighing 7 tons, the statue is the only known representation of the Russian leader that shows him surrounded by guns and flames instead of holding a book or waving his hat. Lewis Carpenter, an American working in Slovakia, found the statue lying face down after it was toppled in the revolution of 1989 and mortgaged his house to pay for the shipping back to the US. Carpenter planned to sell the sculpture as the world's most unique garden gnome. The statue is still for sale for $US 150,000.

I was not wearing a long thick coat designed for Russian winter, so I moved on to boost my energy the way the locals do. In 'Still Life', a bohemian coffee shop, artists, writers and students buzzed. The drug of choice for these urban rebels was the same as the Microsoft campus dwellers, caffeine. I was still getting used to the super-brew and even with an asparagus and red pepper omelette on thick brown toast I could feel my eyes jolt open and my pulse speed up.

With the java beans aid I walked up the hill and under the north end of the Aurora Bridge I found the Fremont Troll.  Sculptured in 1990 by four local artists – Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead – who won a Fremont Arts Council competition, the 18ft concrete beast munches on a full size Volkswagen Beetle and leers at visitors with a shiny metal eye. As with much of the community's installations, the Troll is a living exhibit that reflects local feeling. In 1998, when a man shot a bus driver causing the bus to crash off the bridge into the apartment building next to the Troll, a glistening tear appeared under his eye. The creature is also the guest of honour at “Trollaween” every October.

The wind rushed up under the concrete pillars of the bridge and bit deeper and colder than the cement Troll's teeth ever could. The weather also drained the colour of the faces of the five passengers 'Waiting for the Interurban'. The cold aluminium statues looked resigned to their fate, wrapped in the sporting colours of a local winning team. I paid special attention to the face of the dog with a man's face, brought about by a dispute between sculptor Richard Beyer and aluminium recycler Armen Stepanian, the one-time honorary mayor of Fremont.

Trying to rid my bloodstream of caffeine, I walked away from the centre, along the cycle path lining the edge of Lake Union, past the houseboats made famous in Sleepless in Seattle to the decaying metal structures of Gasworks Park. In the shadow of the rusted boilers covered in bright swirls of graffiti I looked back at the Seattle skyline as the Fremont drawbridge tooted, cutting the republic off completely from the city, just the way the locals liked it.

David is trying to combine careers in internet, marketing and travel. Travel Writing and Photography is one of several projects he is currently working on.  Information about other projects can be found at www.dmfreedom.com.  David can be contacted by email at dave@dmfreedom.com