Grantourismo February Competition - Winning Entries

First Prize

By Nicole

My Top Ten Travel Memories

I drink cherry wine and learn to dance, in a town where teens compete to do the best polka. - Czech Republic

Ten year old Majda teaches me to count in Moroccan Arabic. "'Wahet,' 'jooj,’ 'tlata,'" she says patiently. - Erfoud, Morocco

We find shelter from a downpour with Rocio and Andres, from Chile. After introductions, he produces from his backpack a bottle of wine carried from home. - Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Eighty-seven year old Bill teaches me how to plant garlic. - New Zealand

Seventeen and on my first trip alone. I meet a boy on the train who makes me jump out at all the stops so that I can say I’ve been there. - Austria/Italy...

Continue reading on Nicole's blog

Second Prize

By Suzanne

My top ten moments spent with locals

1. Albanian Nona: She dotingly tends to my cuts after a near-death experience hiking to get to her mountain home.

2. Russian Nadia: We wake in her Moscow lounge/bedroom giggling whilst recounting stories of table dancing away the night before.

3. Russian Boris: After tracking me down at Nadia’s place, he leans out his SUV’s window proclaiming “Russian and Australian family reunite HA HA!”

4. Georgian Goram: The morning after attending an infamous Georgian Table of dangerous toasting marathons, war-troubled Goram slings his arm around my ruined husband in brotherly camaraderie...

Continue reading on Suzanne's blog

Third Prize

By Rebecca

10 memorable slow-travel moments in Ireland
 
1. Exploring my ancestry in the huge red volumes at the Irish Life Centre. An afternoon spent researching led to a reunion with my Great Aunt and cousins the next day – Finding family in Dublin

2. Meeting Italian English-student, Valentina, who demonstrated her family recipe for kneading and rolling handmade Gnocchi. In exchange I taught her Aussie-English phrases such as “how are ya?” and “no worries” – Cooking in Cork

3. Volunteering on an eco-retreat and persevering with a compost toilet. Every scoop of sawdust and visit to the humanure compost heap was a lesson in sustainable living – WWOOFing in Dromahair...

Continue reading on Rebecca's blog