Hello readers. This is my first and possible only post from our Italian and Austrian holiday. The trip was  to take Mum back for a final white Christmas but this being the warmest winter on record with balmy days – if you can call 10 oC balmy  – and chilly but clear nights, we were thwarted.

The irony of travelling across the globe in a plane to be defeated in our purpose by climate change is not lost on me and now I ask the question, ‘Do we convince Mum to come again in the hope of a white Christmas or is this just an insane idea?’

As with any trip, there appears a theme that sort of takes over your trip. This theme is inspired not just by the places you visit but by your age, your life stage and the times.  The theme of this holiday is social media and the new wwworld order (and the lack of snow).

Any of you who are friends on fb will have seen that  I have given up fb as my New Year’s resolution. The reason is that I wasted too much time reading shit on fb rather than writing or painting or drawing or even looking out the train window. And whilst most of what I read is ‘worthy of someone’s attention’ none of it actually enriched my life in any way, apart from the photos of my family. Had there been more posts of dogs, goats or cats playing the piano, I might not have done a bunk, but alas there were not.

Social media is an obsession, and at the first hint of WIFI we all jump on to have a look (except for the Man who doesn’t even bring a phone). Which brings me to the  second social media aspect of this trip which was new this trip – the selfie stick sellers. In years gone by there were young men on each corner selling fake handbags, fake scarves and my favourite…. chicky chickys  – those balloons filled with flour which can be squished into funny faces. Now all they sell are selfie sticks. Depressing.

The final social media thing that has struck me is that every country and every city is waging a war on Uber. All over Rome, on every pole, are signs to take only legal taxis. These stickers are to ROME as the DYE stickers are to Melbourne (or is it just Northcote).

Still the cities are still here, the ruins and the glorious palaces are all around us. The galleries are bursting with art and the ham and cheese paninis as good as they were in 1990. I made a weak and non valiant attempt at eating less meat, and particularly, no pig, but when the only things on the vegetarian menu were shrimp fettuccine and spaghetti  bolognese, I decided to await my return before pushing through with that pre-New years eat less meat resolution.

Whilst we haven’t had a white Christmas we did get some skiing in on energy and water intensive man-made slopes (more bitter irony there) and we did enjoy the wonders of a European Alpine Christmas. NOT one bit of cheap plastic adornment to be seen. Candles, Carved wood, branches from pine trees, glue wine, felted angels. DIVINE. Loved every bit of it. Even without the snow.

So on this note, I shall pop out to enjoy a final meal in Rome before we think about heading home.

R