The Texas Riviera

I am embarrassed to admit that it has taken me almost 2 years to do the relatively short trek from Houston down the coast towards Mexico, to the little coastal towns of Rockport, Port Aransas and the city of Corpus Christie.  Having now made the effort, I wish I had done it sooner.  This area of Texas is quite lovely and reminds me somewhat of the Sunshine Coast back in the 80s.  The combined little towns and Corpus Christie itself spread along the last stretches of the Intercoastal Waterway and have a series of barrier islands that result in lots of little sheltered bays and fabulous boating spots.  In fact its a yachties dream cruising area, except of course during the hurricane season!

The name, Corpus Christie, means Body of Christ and was given to the area by Spanish Explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda back in 1519.  So it is a very old area of the State.  It also played a really important part in the wars with Mexico, the American Civil War and in World War II.  Today, its an almost forgotten part of the State in terms of tourism, yet really worth the time and energy to get there.  Time has passed it by, allowing it to develop a fabulous relaxed lifestyle that is beautifully peppered with the culture of Mexico.

A great spot to escape to!

Beautiful Amsterdam

Five days in beautiful Amsterdam is truly something to be cherished.  And particularly so when its in spring and that magnificent blue sky reflects onto the mirrors of the canals.  There is something to be said for a city that has almost completely abandoned the motor vehicle for feet and bicycles.  While there is still some traffic to contend with, the historic city of Amsterdam is really a pedestrian and cyclist's dream. So many wonderful little streets and alleyways to explore and all lined cheek by jowl with fabulous and quirky architecture.  You sometimes wonder how these buildings have stayed standing but I suspect the fact that they all support each other helps.  Methinks if you pulled one of the jenga tiles down....they'd all come crumbling down.

What I particularly love about this city is how easy it is to meander and get lost amongst the cafes and funky little shops, yet not really be too far from your starting point.

While there are aspects of Amsterdam that don't necessarily appeal to me, such as the dope and weed smoking culture, or the ridiculous and sometimes obnoxious groups of bucks and hens on their 'last mad fling' parties, those grungy bits just add to the character of the place.

The real appeal is in its art, architecture, canals, people and its wonderful little cafes.  A visit here isn't complete without visiting some of the fantastic galleries and museums, or enjoying some pastries and coffee on a busy little corner bordered by a canal.