Ponant’s small ship, Le Lyrial, is French chic exemplified – a stylish potpourri of first-rate gastronomy, elegant interiors, exotic locations and European culture.
Read my story published in Fairfax Media’s Traveller in June 2017 here: http://www.traveller.com.au/ponant-le-lyrial-adriatic-cruise–venice-to-athens-gwyw5f#ixzz4lkySeqni
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And here’s the print version:
About alisonstewartwriter
Alison is a writer, journalist and travel writer, born in South Africa, now living in Australia. She has had nine books published - two books for adults and seven for young people. Four of them have been translated into Italian, Danish, Dutch and Thai.
Her latest project, Cold Stone Soup, an unpublished memoir about growing up under apartheid and migrating to Australia has won the FAW 2013 National Literary Awards (Jim Hamilton Award for a non-fiction manuscript). Cold Stone Soup was also runner-up in the 2010 Penguin/Varuna Scholarship.
Her first book for adults, Born Into the Country (Justified Press 1988, South Africa) was shortlisted for the 1987 AA Mutual Life Vita Young Writers’ Award. Heinemann Australia published her next adult novel, Bitterbloom in 1991. Her YA novel, The Wishing Moon was shortlisted for the 1995 Australian Multicultural Children’s Award and was a 1995 Children’s Book Council Notable book.
Her YA dystopia, Days Like This, published by Penguin Australia was a finalist in the inaugural 2010 Amazon/Penguin Breakthrough Novel Award in the YA category.
Alison worked for years as a news and feature journalist. She is now a regular travel writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age and online Fairfax Media publications. Her travel story, Snails in the Mist, was placed first in the Lane Cove Literary Awards 2019 travel story category and was shortlisted for three awards. Snails in the Mist will be published in the Lane Cove Literary Awards Anthology in 2020.
Alison Stewart writer 
Hi Alison, After spending the week with you on board Le Lyrial, I really enjoyed reading your article on the trip from Venice to Athens. Your description was very accurate and you were very tactful in regard to the French language speakers. You may be interested to know that the return trip for the 60th Birthday party had an entirely different feel to the Piano Festival. We enjoyed meeting you both and hope that our paths may cross again some day. Regards Dianne Davies
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Hi Dianne,
Many thanks for your email and comments about the article. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I understand there was a different vibe – had been in touch with Philip who mentioned this. Force of numbers I imagine!
I hope you had a wonderful trip coming back to Venice and the birthday was truly memorable – what an experience.
We really enjoyed meeting you and Chris and sharing some excursions too, like Brac – I’ve written a story about that, which should be published in the next little while. Take care and hope we meet again. All the best, Alison.
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