Here in the Australian State of Victoria where I live, there is currently a bit of a hullabaloo going on over a simple legislative change involving removing the "crime" of abortion from the Crimes Act. It is a simple change because abortion is not prosecuted any more, as most rational & logical people realise, it is a personal health matter & nothing to do with government or crime against society.
On the news.com.au site, a reader by the name of "Lucy" posted the following opinion, which I think says it all quite succinctly.
"Any decision regarding a woman's body and/or her reproductive system should be made between her and her doctor and the two of them can work through their respective morals, beliefs and circumstances with the situation. None of us have the right to tell any other person what to do with their body. If you don't like the idea of abortion, don't have one. Let others make the decision for themselves."
Well said Lucy and let us hope the upper house members concur & pass the bill.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
A blog for Deano
I wrote a whole blog for you Deano (offline) and now I went back and checked my diary entry for Rome, when I talked about losing my mobile 'phone and you left a comment "what about the 'phone".
So months later you've been chasing me up, and I realised that I had actually read that comment overseas and edited the entry to say what happened.
Re-read the Rome diary entry Deano!
Waking up tomorrow for 5am (body thinking it is 4am) is going to hurt!
So months later you've been chasing me up, and I realised that I had actually read that comment overseas and edited the entry to say what happened.
Re-read the Rome diary entry Deano!
:)
In other news, I've finally put something else up on my YouTube channel
Not going to make any promises, but will try for semi-regular updates there, as I have a few things on my mind to do.
Waking up tomorrow for 5am (body thinking it is 4am) is going to hurt!
Friday, August 08, 2008
And the Winner is .................
Syd-eney ... Ooops, I'm a few years late. Actually Sydney is still the winner, no matter how much China tries to claim that these will be the best games ever, they have lost the moral right to such a claim due to the fact they are not a free society and they encourage tyranny not only within their own borders but without too.
There are only a few nations that can rival the hypocrisy that is the "government" of China, and of course one of those is the current administration that has occupied the White House for the past eight years.
But I will not be watching the opening ceremony tonight, nor any of the actual games coverage if I can help it. Not whilst free speech is stifled and censored, not whilst people are being controlled and repressed in Tibet, not whilst people are dying by the hundreds of thousands in Darfur whilst the Chinese government props up and supports the government in Sudan, which is in turn aiding the genocide.
Sure, we can say "well lets forget the politics and just enjoy the sport" but sometimes it is through sport that politics can be influenced. China has reneged on many promises for these games already, and not only that but choosing to hold them in a city which is already suffering from bad pollution and lack of water supply.
Much is touted about the successful economic prosperity of China in recent years, but at what cost? Does anyone remember what happened in 1989? Probably not many modern Chinese as the events of Tienanmen Square have been "excised" from the official history books in China, and we will never know exactly how many people were killed.
I remember though, as it happened when I was 17 and studying "Power and Political People" in my final year at high school. I remember the lone man who stood in front of a column of tanks and for many minutes halted the Red Army in its tracks.
On this night when everyone else is "celebrating" what of those who died all those years ago? I am sure their relatives are not celebrating.
There are only a few nations that can rival the hypocrisy that is the "government" of China, and of course one of those is the current administration that has occupied the White House for the past eight years.
But I will not be watching the opening ceremony tonight, nor any of the actual games coverage if I can help it. Not whilst free speech is stifled and censored, not whilst people are being controlled and repressed in Tibet, not whilst people are dying by the hundreds of thousands in Darfur whilst the Chinese government props up and supports the government in Sudan, which is in turn aiding the genocide.
Sure, we can say "well lets forget the politics and just enjoy the sport" but sometimes it is through sport that politics can be influenced. China has reneged on many promises for these games already, and not only that but choosing to hold them in a city which is already suffering from bad pollution and lack of water supply.
Much is touted about the successful economic prosperity of China in recent years, but at what cost? Does anyone remember what happened in 1989? Probably not many modern Chinese as the events of Tienanmen Square have been "excised" from the official history books in China, and we will never know exactly how many people were killed.
I remember though, as it happened when I was 17 and studying "Power and Political People" in my final year at high school. I remember the lone man who stood in front of a column of tanks and for many minutes halted the Red Army in its tracks.
On this night when everyone else is "celebrating" what of those who died all those years ago? I am sure their relatives are not celebrating.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Another nail in the coffin of Australian TV
The other night I was watching TV, which is a pretty rare thing for me these days, as I have deliberately reduced my viewing habits to a bare minimum over the past few years, mostly helped by the complete lack of anything interesting to watch and my ability to download the television programs I really want from the internet (shhh supposedly its naughty to do that).
I came across an absolute abortion of a television show called "Hole in the Wall" on Channel Nine. I think I managed to watch about thirty seconds before I had to change it and watch an advertisement for tampons on another channel.
This "show" (and I hesitate to even call it a television show) was allegedly a game show where the contestants (c-grade celebrities dressed in appalling silver jumpsuits) had to contort their bodies to fit through styro-foam walls with shapes cut out of them.
Pure drivel, worse than Big Brother. But what is more scary is that it rated its pants off according to the story in the Age.
Oh good grief people of Australia, please prove to me that you are not moronic enough to regularly watch this complete dross next week. Send Channel Nine a message that we possess intelligence and want quality television!
Then again, this is the viewing public who think Sam Newman is funny, so I'm not holding my breath.
I came across an absolute abortion of a television show called "Hole in the Wall" on Channel Nine. I think I managed to watch about thirty seconds before I had to change it and watch an advertisement for tampons on another channel.
This "show" (and I hesitate to even call it a television show) was allegedly a game show where the contestants (c-grade celebrities dressed in appalling silver jumpsuits) had to contort their bodies to fit through styro-foam walls with shapes cut out of them.
Pure drivel, worse than Big Brother. But what is more scary is that it rated its pants off according to the story in the Age.
Oh good grief people of Australia, please prove to me that you are not moronic enough to regularly watch this complete dross next week. Send Channel Nine a message that we possess intelligence and want quality television!
Then again, this is the viewing public who think Sam Newman is funny, so I'm not holding my breath.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Winter means Wonderful Colds
Some random thoughts whilst I am at home convalescing with a rather heavy cold making me feel less than healthy. Ah yes, the true indication of winter is that you get a cold, mostly from other people on public transport or from fellow colleagues at your job (which I think was my downfall). Roll on "tele-commuting" which I'd be happy to do right now, only where I work has restricted remote access rules to the point unless I have a company laptop (and as a contractor I never will) I'm not going to be able to do that.
Job is going well so far, so is getting back into the daily routine of waking up early and catching the train. It is surprising that after almost three months out of that routine how quickly one can become accustomed to it again.
Random thoughts on current events:
- Why Geelong is barely represented on GoogleMaps "StreetView" function, come on guys, this is the second biggest city in Victoria!
- Our Federal Government's obsession with content filtering on the internet at ISP level. For a variety of technical and philosophical reasons I totally object to it. If parents cannot exercise control of their kids in their own home (it is even easier to control what they see on the internet than on TV) then they have no right to complain about the content on the internet. I am an adult, and the internet is not for unrestricted viewing. But it seems all you need to do is yell "our children need to be protected" and all logical argument goes out the window.
- Ditto the above for photography in general. We are now at the ridiculous stage that parents cannot take photographs of their kids at school sports. We are becoming a paranoid society and it plays into the hands of the stupid minorities and more sinister elements of society who get off on "controlling" the rest of us.
- People with stupid opinions, especially in public positions should keep their mouths shut. Notable mentions go to a certain Catholic Cardinal in Sydney who exhorted (by inference) Caucasians to procreate more and cast doubt on Climate Change being caused by human activity. Another notable mention is a certain "television personality" who made a fairly crass statement (inadvertent he claims!) about a female politician who is now in hospital due to obvious personal problems that may or may not have been compounded by what was said and the ensuing media coverage.
Job is going well so far, so is getting back into the daily routine of waking up early and catching the train. It is surprising that after almost three months out of that routine how quickly one can become accustomed to it again.
Random thoughts on current events:
- Why Geelong is barely represented on GoogleMaps "StreetView" function, come on guys, this is the second biggest city in Victoria!
- Our Federal Government's obsession with content filtering on the internet at ISP level. For a variety of technical and philosophical reasons I totally object to it. If parents cannot exercise control of their kids in their own home (it is even easier to control what they see on the internet than on TV) then they have no right to complain about the content on the internet. I am an adult, and the internet is not for unrestricted viewing. But it seems all you need to do is yell "our children need to be protected" and all logical argument goes out the window.
- Ditto the above for photography in general. We are now at the ridiculous stage that parents cannot take photographs of their kids at school sports. We are becoming a paranoid society and it plays into the hands of the stupid minorities and more sinister elements of society who get off on "controlling" the rest of us.
- People with stupid opinions, especially in public positions should keep their mouths shut. Notable mentions go to a certain Catholic Cardinal in Sydney who exhorted (by inference) Caucasians to procreate more and cast doubt on Climate Change being caused by human activity. Another notable mention is a certain "television personality" who made a fairly crass statement (inadvertent he claims!) about a female politician who is now in hospital due to obvious personal problems that may or may not have been compounded by what was said and the ensuing media coverage.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Days of Laziness Ending ......
Ok, so I've not quite got the majority of my photographs up for public scrutiny as yet, so what exactly have I been doing for the past three weeks since I got back from overseas.
To be honest, I really don't know. Sleeping, reading, playing games, emailing friends, visiting family, relaxing ... generally not much. At the same time, I was following up a lead for a new contract job and starting to chase up other job opportunities as although leading the lazy life of an unemployed git has been rather nice, still have to find some money to pay the bills and keep the roof over the head.
So, I will be once again getting off my virtual couch every day and doing the trek to Melbourne via the train from Geelong and "working for the man", or in this case, another big bank.
I am actually looking forward to it, as this position will mean working with some friends from a few years ago, so there will not be much of the awkwardness when you start at a new role, making new friends or who to go to lunch or coffee. All that small stuff that is part of a being the new guy at any company.
I've yet to decide what to do with this blog, but would be nice to keep writing on a semi-regular basis with my view from the virtual couch on life, the universe and everything.
Who knows, there could be another trip in the planning too!
So wish me luck as I return to the world of employment as of next Wednesday!
See you on the flip side.
To be honest, I really don't know. Sleeping, reading, playing games, emailing friends, visiting family, relaxing ... generally not much. At the same time, I was following up a lead for a new contract job and starting to chase up other job opportunities as although leading the lazy life of an unemployed git has been rather nice, still have to find some money to pay the bills and keep the roof over the head.
So, I will be once again getting off my virtual couch every day and doing the trek to Melbourne via the train from Geelong and "working for the man", or in this case, another big bank.
I am actually looking forward to it, as this position will mean working with some friends from a few years ago, so there will not be much of the awkwardness when you start at a new role, making new friends or who to go to lunch or coffee. All that small stuff that is part of a being the new guy at any company.
I've yet to decide what to do with this blog, but would be nice to keep writing on a semi-regular basis with my view from the virtual couch on life, the universe and everything.
Who knows, there could be another trip in the planning too!
So wish me luck as I return to the world of employment as of next Wednesday!
See you on the flip side.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Photographs (at last?!)
I have been back in Australia for exactly two weeks now and if you asked me what I have been doing for the past fourteen days my answer would be something along the lines of:
"Errrr, sleep, play xbox360 games, sleep, eat, see family, see friends, sleep, play games"
So really nothing as scintillating or interesting as my recent travels. Ho-hum, am I suffering perchance from the post-holiday blues? No, but I can tell you I'm freezing my frickin' proverbials off in this colder weather!
Anyway, back to the subject at hand, which is the oft-requested photographs. I've inflicted a few lengthy viewing sessions on some friends and family. But realising that even I am getting sick of wading through 2200 or so photographs (even though they are neatly arranged in relevant day/place folders) I am currently whittling them down to a short selection from each place/day and uploading them to my FaceBook and MySpace profiles and also to a Flickr page (linked to the title of this blog or click HERE .
The Flickr set is a little abridged from even the FB or MS albums, simply because I don't like splashing friends faces around on the world wide web without their permission. FB and MS I can restrict to just friends so that is okay (in my logic).
In other news I'm currently in the hunt for a job, with some positive rumblings on one front at least. So I may yet be back writing my vlinewhinger blog in the very near future!
Hopefully by the end of next week I will have most of the photographs that I intend to display publicly uploaded.
"Errrr, sleep, play xbox360 games, sleep, eat, see family, see friends, sleep, play games"
So really nothing as scintillating or interesting as my recent travels. Ho-hum, am I suffering perchance from the post-holiday blues? No, but I can tell you I'm freezing my frickin' proverbials off in this colder weather!
Anyway, back to the subject at hand, which is the oft-requested photographs. I've inflicted a few lengthy viewing sessions on some friends and family. But realising that even I am getting sick of wading through 2200 or so photographs (even though they are neatly arranged in relevant day/place folders) I am currently whittling them down to a short selection from each place/day and uploading them to my FaceBook and MySpace profiles and also to a Flickr page (linked to the title of this blog or click HERE .
The Flickr set is a little abridged from even the FB or MS albums, simply because I don't like splashing friends faces around on the world wide web without their permission. FB and MS I can restrict to just friends so that is okay (in my logic).
In other news I'm currently in the hunt for a job, with some positive rumblings on one front at least. So I may yet be back writing my vlinewhinger blog in the very near future!
Hopefully by the end of next week I will have most of the photographs that I intend to display publicly uploaded.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Home safe and sound
Just a quick entry before I go to sleep to let everyone know I am home in Geelong West all safe and sound, despite Hong Kong having a category 8 Typhoon blowing nearish that made weather conditions interesting and our flight home delayed by over an hour (actually meant that my rush from the connecting flight was not needed!).
I think I set a record for getting off the plane, thru immigration, finding bag & thru customs .. less than 15 minutes. I even beat Ken, the limo driver who was picking me up, he was amazed that I made it out so quickly as the usual time is 30 minutes plus for most people he picks up from international flights.
Will write something tomorrow and get to work onto posting photographs up.
:)
I think I set a record for getting off the plane, thru immigration, finding bag & thru customs .. less than 15 minutes. I even beat Ken, the limo driver who was picking me up, he was amazed that I made it out so quickly as the usual time is 30 minutes plus for most people he picks up from international flights.
Will write something tomorrow and get to work onto posting photographs up.
:)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Homeward Bound
Where is my damn breakfast? That´s my overriding thought right now on the morning of my departure back to Australia rather than any thoughts of the flight home or contemplation of the end of my holiday.
Yesterday (Monday) I had a very quiet day, said goodbye to Lauren in the morning (I think I was still asleep but mumbled a few appropriate things!) and James brought me up to Heathrow in the afternoon to the hotel that I had booked right next to the airport.
My homeward leg is a bit different to the last time I flew home, in that I have two stops, and three flights. I´m flying FinnAir for the first two, so will be flying 3 hours to Helsinki in finland first, with a brief one hour stop there. Then it is an eight and a bit flight to Hong Kong. I think I will try and sleep on this flight to reset my body clock to aussie time. Then after almost two hours in Hong Kong (probably enough time to get lost at the airport), it will be the homeward leg to Melbourne on Qantas for around 9 hours I think.
So Wednesday 9pm aussie time I arrive and hopefully be met by Ken, my reliable and talkative limo driver who will be eager to hear my gossip, especially from my Romanian part of my holiday (no doubt a few others are too).
It has been a fantastic holiday, and I promise not to make you all sit through 2200 photographs, but will post a decent selection on a web gallery (probably flickr) and in my facebook and myspace profiles too.
I dare say this blog will continue on, but with perhaps less exciting and interesting entries than the past six weeks!
See you on the flip side.
Yesterday (Monday) I had a very quiet day, said goodbye to Lauren in the morning (I think I was still asleep but mumbled a few appropriate things!) and James brought me up to Heathrow in the afternoon to the hotel that I had booked right next to the airport.
My homeward leg is a bit different to the last time I flew home, in that I have two stops, and three flights. I´m flying FinnAir for the first two, so will be flying 3 hours to Helsinki in finland first, with a brief one hour stop there. Then it is an eight and a bit flight to Hong Kong. I think I will try and sleep on this flight to reset my body clock to aussie time. Then after almost two hours in Hong Kong (probably enough time to get lost at the airport), it will be the homeward leg to Melbourne on Qantas for around 9 hours I think.
So Wednesday 9pm aussie time I arrive and hopefully be met by Ken, my reliable and talkative limo driver who will be eager to hear my gossip, especially from my Romanian part of my holiday (no doubt a few others are too).
It has been a fantastic holiday, and I promise not to make you all sit through 2200 photographs, but will post a decent selection on a web gallery (probably flickr) and in my facebook and myspace profiles too.
I dare say this blog will continue on, but with perhaps less exciting and interesting entries than the past six weeks!
See you on the flip side.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Cornwall weekend Friday 20 to Sunday 22nd June
Friday afternoon James, Lauren and myself jumped into their brand new little Fiat 500 and headed the 300 or so miles to the southwest corner of England.
For the first time on my whole trip about three quarters of the way to Cornwall I felt incredibly ill and we had to stop at service station fairly rapidly. No I didnt throw up but rather embarrassingly it was a very upset stomach that almost caused me to pass out with pain, as it was James had to grab my arm and he said my legs looked like they were jelly as we made our way to the toilets. Probably a combination of not eating a snack at the previous rest-stop and only having a coffee which was very very bad but I kept drinking it ... that and bouncing around in the back of the car for over four hours!
Anyway, after toilet break, an oatmeal bar and some lucazade fizzy drink, I came good and we were on our way to Redruth in Cornwall where Lauren´s Mum and step-dad Peter live.
This was also probably the saddest part of my whole journey as the house and surrounding towns (including St Ives) is where my gorgeous cousin Raine lived, worked and unfortunately died after an 18 month battle with cancer. She had passed away in mid-Feb this year, just weeks before her 22nd birthday,
In a way this trip was kind of dedicated to her as she always told me I needed to come over again and do more of an organised trip than I did four years ago.
Saturday we spent the day in St Ives, which was a lovely village dating back many many years from a Pilchard fishing history. The weather was typical english weather, dull, dreary and lightly raining for most of the day. It didnt dampen my enjoyment of the town of St Ives, even just to meet people who Raine worked with, to visit the cafe where she worked for many years and to see the church where her funeral service was held. I guess in a way it was my goodbye to her.
Sunday couldn´t have been more a day of contrast as we headed to the other side of peninsula, to Penzance, Moushole, and my favourite part of the day, exploring the Saint Michael´s Mount, which is an island off the Cornwall coast reached by a causeway at low tide. The island has a huge castle on the top, which is still in private hands but adminstered by the National Trust. It was fantastic. I really want a castle to live in!
In the evening was the long drive back, but we made great time, stopping in Salisbury for dinner.
I really enjoyed Cornwall, however still cannot get over how narrow the roads are in the villages and towns and the fact that some of them are two with pedestrians to boot!
Oh and I can tick off Stonehenge from my list of to see, we drove past it on the way down and I got a decent picture. I´d already been to a detailed musuem at Salisbury four years ago that had quite a bit of information on the circle of rings, so there was no need to stop. Plus the road was half-closed as all the druids were gathering for the summer solstice on the Saturday night so lots of people and police milling about.
For the first time on my whole trip about three quarters of the way to Cornwall I felt incredibly ill and we had to stop at service station fairly rapidly. No I didnt throw up but rather embarrassingly it was a very upset stomach that almost caused me to pass out with pain, as it was James had to grab my arm and he said my legs looked like they were jelly as we made our way to the toilets. Probably a combination of not eating a snack at the previous rest-stop and only having a coffee which was very very bad but I kept drinking it ... that and bouncing around in the back of the car for over four hours!
Anyway, after toilet break, an oatmeal bar and some lucazade fizzy drink, I came good and we were on our way to Redruth in Cornwall where Lauren´s Mum and step-dad Peter live.
This was also probably the saddest part of my whole journey as the house and surrounding towns (including St Ives) is where my gorgeous cousin Raine lived, worked and unfortunately died after an 18 month battle with cancer. She had passed away in mid-Feb this year, just weeks before her 22nd birthday,
In a way this trip was kind of dedicated to her as she always told me I needed to come over again and do more of an organised trip than I did four years ago.
Saturday we spent the day in St Ives, which was a lovely village dating back many many years from a Pilchard fishing history. The weather was typical english weather, dull, dreary and lightly raining for most of the day. It didnt dampen my enjoyment of the town of St Ives, even just to meet people who Raine worked with, to visit the cafe where she worked for many years and to see the church where her funeral service was held. I guess in a way it was my goodbye to her.
Sunday couldn´t have been more a day of contrast as we headed to the other side of peninsula, to Penzance, Moushole, and my favourite part of the day, exploring the Saint Michael´s Mount, which is an island off the Cornwall coast reached by a causeway at low tide. The island has a huge castle on the top, which is still in private hands but adminstered by the National Trust. It was fantastic. I really want a castle to live in!
In the evening was the long drive back, but we made great time, stopping in Salisbury for dinner.
I really enjoyed Cornwall, however still cannot get over how narrow the roads are in the villages and towns and the fact that some of them are two with pedestrians to boot!
Oh and I can tick off Stonehenge from my list of to see, we drove past it on the way down and I got a decent picture. I´d already been to a detailed musuem at Salisbury four years ago that had quite a bit of information on the circle of rings, so there was no need to stop. Plus the road was half-closed as all the druids were gathering for the summer solstice on the Saturday night so lots of people and police milling about.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Cardiff day trip Thursday 19th of June 2008
After my day trip to Portsmouth fell by the wayside (busy aunts & sick aunts) I was pretty excited to head off to Cardiff in Wales today for a bit of a day trip. Id already sussed out the ticket to buy with James (my cousin Lauren´s fiance) help, but to give you and indication of the prices of train tickets here it was 52 pounds (around $120 aussie or so) which I suppose isnt bad considering I went a fair distance.
The tricky bit was changing stations at Reading, although I had plenty of time between connecting trains. Thing was, there was no handy dandy big display listing all the trains & platforms that was accessible INSIDE the station (ie without using your ticket to leave the station - which i couldnt do) so I nicked around a few platforms and sort of thought where I should go, but ended up asking (oh the humiliation to my manhood ... having to ASK ... kidding!) anyway, turned out I was in the right spot.
At the moment the races are on at Royal Ascot (James was spewing as he realised he would have had an excuse with me being here to take time off work to go) so there were quite a few dressed up guys and gals strutting there stuff whilst I waited for my train (Reading seems to be an way point for trains).
A comment on the trains of UK here. There simply is no comparison to the Vline trains. The UK ones are fast, smooth and modern and the second train i caught, the economy reserved seats were equivalent to first class in australia with more leg room & a tray (no reclining tho) and im not totally sure but I think you can plug laptops into each seat so they use power rather than their batteries.
When i finally got to Cardiff the weather was brilliant, if a bit chilly with the wind (reminded me of Warrnambool weather actually). Cardiff is a place going ahead with seemingly quite a bit of new buildings and renovations happening in the centre of the city.
I had no idea where I was going so my first stop when I walked out of the platforms was to find the information desk at the station. Thankfully there were photocopies of a map of the centre of the city and the bay area which was detailed enough but only on an a4 sized piece of paper so I wouldn´t look a complete Mr Obvious Tourist.
Having said that, I got myself lost by not referencing myself on the map properly within two streets. Happily the city father´s had known I was coming and put lots of touristy information signposts pointing to the bits I wanted to go to (like Cardiff Castle) so I was ´unlost´ in moments. Well that happened too when I saw the big naff off stadium.
At the castle they told me there was a video presentation to go to, then i could go on guided tour of the mansion part of the castle that had been the home of the Maquis de Bute (this is from memory, i better google this later) who had a monopoly on the coal in wales and its export for several generations until it was nationalised.
Hmmm could have skipped the video presentation as it was just ummmmm wanky! I think they tried to present it at a level for school kids but it came off just really dumb and really didnt convey much information ... basically it was two teenagers being chased around cardiff by the various inhabitants of the castle throughout its history and a bit of a graphic of what it looked like over the time ...
The guided tour on the other hand was great. The house has been kept more or less as it was when the family handed it over to the city in 1947. So it definitely has a lived in feel. Was not allowed to take pictures unfortunately.
After that I went up to the actual keep itself which was a ruin, having been irreparably damaged during the English Civil War in the 1640´s
I grabbed a quick bite at the castle and then walked to find the information centre and asked how long walking to the bay area would take, and as it was only 30 mins (translate to 20 mins for me) I walked there. Funny how things look very different on TV, by which I mean I went to the Millenium Centre that has been featured in Dr Who and more in Torchwood. Although there was stuff being set up so my photographs are not going to look great, but I did get a picture of myself in front of what i think is the back entrance to Torchwood.
After a wander around the foreshore area, I walked up to a cinema complex that also hosted a Dr Who exhibition with some of costumes and props from Dr Who. So more photos there.
The rest of the day I wandered around and eventually decided to have a beer whilst I waited for my train back to Guildford. Tried a local ale called Brain which was okay, but decided to finished off with a Guiness.
Trains were a bit late so my admiration of the efficiency of the rail system here was a bit dented! But at least they explained why fairly promptly and we made up the time.
I enjoyed the day in Cardiff, but I think Edinburgh was still my favourite place so far on this trip.
2163 photographs is the count so far. Some of you may have seen the random ones I´ve stuck up on facebook. I promise promise promise when I get back on Thursday I will have a gallery up on somewhere (flickr etc).
The tricky bit was changing stations at Reading, although I had plenty of time between connecting trains. Thing was, there was no handy dandy big display listing all the trains & platforms that was accessible INSIDE the station (ie without using your ticket to leave the station - which i couldnt do) so I nicked around a few platforms and sort of thought where I should go, but ended up asking (oh the humiliation to my manhood ... having to ASK ... kidding!) anyway, turned out I was in the right spot.
At the moment the races are on at Royal Ascot (James was spewing as he realised he would have had an excuse with me being here to take time off work to go) so there were quite a few dressed up guys and gals strutting there stuff whilst I waited for my train (Reading seems to be an way point for trains).
A comment on the trains of UK here. There simply is no comparison to the Vline trains. The UK ones are fast, smooth and modern and the second train i caught, the economy reserved seats were equivalent to first class in australia with more leg room & a tray (no reclining tho) and im not totally sure but I think you can plug laptops into each seat so they use power rather than their batteries.
When i finally got to Cardiff the weather was brilliant, if a bit chilly with the wind (reminded me of Warrnambool weather actually). Cardiff is a place going ahead with seemingly quite a bit of new buildings and renovations happening in the centre of the city.
I had no idea where I was going so my first stop when I walked out of the platforms was to find the information desk at the station. Thankfully there were photocopies of a map of the centre of the city and the bay area which was detailed enough but only on an a4 sized piece of paper so I wouldn´t look a complete Mr Obvious Tourist.
Having said that, I got myself lost by not referencing myself on the map properly within two streets. Happily the city father´s had known I was coming and put lots of touristy information signposts pointing to the bits I wanted to go to (like Cardiff Castle) so I was ´unlost´ in moments. Well that happened too when I saw the big naff off stadium.
At the castle they told me there was a video presentation to go to, then i could go on guided tour of the mansion part of the castle that had been the home of the Maquis de Bute (this is from memory, i better google this later) who had a monopoly on the coal in wales and its export for several generations until it was nationalised.
Hmmm could have skipped the video presentation as it was just ummmmm wanky! I think they tried to present it at a level for school kids but it came off just really dumb and really didnt convey much information ... basically it was two teenagers being chased around cardiff by the various inhabitants of the castle throughout its history and a bit of a graphic of what it looked like over the time ...
The guided tour on the other hand was great. The house has been kept more or less as it was when the family handed it over to the city in 1947. So it definitely has a lived in feel. Was not allowed to take pictures unfortunately.
After that I went up to the actual keep itself which was a ruin, having been irreparably damaged during the English Civil War in the 1640´s
I grabbed a quick bite at the castle and then walked to find the information centre and asked how long walking to the bay area would take, and as it was only 30 mins (translate to 20 mins for me) I walked there. Funny how things look very different on TV, by which I mean I went to the Millenium Centre that has been featured in Dr Who and more in Torchwood. Although there was stuff being set up so my photographs are not going to look great, but I did get a picture of myself in front of what i think is the back entrance to Torchwood.
After a wander around the foreshore area, I walked up to a cinema complex that also hosted a Dr Who exhibition with some of costumes and props from Dr Who. So more photos there.
The rest of the day I wandered around and eventually decided to have a beer whilst I waited for my train back to Guildford. Tried a local ale called Brain which was okay, but decided to finished off with a Guiness.
Trains were a bit late so my admiration of the efficiency of the rail system here was a bit dented! But at least they explained why fairly promptly and we made up the time.
I enjoyed the day in Cardiff, but I think Edinburgh was still my favourite place so far on this trip.
2163 photographs is the count so far. Some of you may have seen the random ones I´ve stuck up on facebook. I promise promise promise when I get back on Thursday I will have a gallery up on somewhere (flickr etc).
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Guildford - June 16 to June 18
Ok, Im almost up to date! Yeah I have been slack with my blogging but hopefully everything has been covered so far. The past few days here have just been chill out days really, kind of like the few days in Romania, think I have really needed a bit of a wind down after the three weeks on the go touring.
I did plan to visit Portsmouth today (Wed 18th) but unfortunately the auntie I planned to visit was really busy all this week, so no time to catch up, which was a bit disappointing but hopefully catch her next time i come (which I am thinking might be later this year).
Tomorrow Im off to Cardiff in Wales for the day, then on Friday night we are driving down to St Ives in Cornwall (south west england) for the weekend. Monday is my last day in UK, and James and Lauren will drive me up to heathrow to the hotel that Im staying at overnight and Tuesday I will fly out in the morning and arrive Wed night Aussie time to be picked up by my chauffeur.
(yes Im blogging future dates, in case I dont get a chance to blog before I leave).
I did plan to visit Portsmouth today (Wed 18th) but unfortunately the auntie I planned to visit was really busy all this week, so no time to catch up, which was a bit disappointing but hopefully catch her next time i come (which I am thinking might be later this year).
Tomorrow Im off to Cardiff in Wales for the day, then on Friday night we are driving down to St Ives in Cornwall (south west england) for the weekend. Monday is my last day in UK, and James and Lauren will drive me up to heathrow to the hotel that Im staying at overnight and Tuesday I will fly out in the morning and arrive Wed night Aussie time to be picked up by my chauffeur.
(yes Im blogging future dates, in case I dont get a chance to blog before I leave).
Sunday June 15 - London day trip
After meeting Lauren yesterday we had travelled back to Guildford which is about a 30 minute train ride south of London. Had to drag the bag through a couple of underground stops and then thru Waterloo Station (kept thinking of the Bourne Ultimatum which was filmed there) thank goodness Lauren met me in London as I´d have had fun doing it myself.
Hmmm the trains here in London are sooooooo much nicer than than Vline ones and alot faster! Ooops, wrong blog (vlinewhinger may get resurrected).
Anyway, Sunday we had decided to do a day trip up to London and we visited the British Museum which was totally amazing and we only had time just to wander around the ancient history of Egypt and the middle east.
Oh look ... some Mummies, and there is a part of the beard of the Sphinx, and the Rosetta Stone ... is that enough history to take in for an afternoon!!
Lunch was in Covent Gardens in a great little mexican restaurant which served only organic food.
So in all in all it was a great day just wandering around with Lauren and getting to know her.
Hmmm the trains here in London are sooooooo much nicer than than Vline ones and alot faster! Ooops, wrong blog (vlinewhinger may get resurrected).
Anyway, Sunday we had decided to do a day trip up to London and we visited the British Museum which was totally amazing and we only had time just to wander around the ancient history of Egypt and the middle east.
Oh look ... some Mummies, and there is a part of the beard of the Sphinx, and the Rosetta Stone ... is that enough history to take in for an afternoon!!
Lunch was in Covent Gardens in a great little mexican restaurant which served only organic food.
So in all in all it was a great day just wandering around with Lauren and getting to know her.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Scottish Tour sunday June 8 to Saturday June 14
I have to confess to laziness with regard to keeping a travel diary for Scotland, but for completeness sake I need to at least list the highlights of the week I spent travelling around that wonderful country and share some of the stories.
Sunday morning I got a cooked breakfast in my room which got me started and I went downstairs to join up the tour, as it turned out we had a small group compared to the previous tour I did where there were 44 people, this time only 25, so plenty of room on the coach.
there was a mixed bag of people, less new zealanders than last time, but they were amongst the first to talk to me. Amongst the other nationalities were Canadian, french-canadian, australian, indian and american.
It was a long drive up to Edinburgh where we stayed the first two nights and we had a great hotel in both quality and location, which was overlooking the old city, I have some great photos of the castle and the the view.
I have to say that Edinburgh is the first city I have felt totally at home and relaxed in for the whole tour. It just had a familiar air about it. There was no other city that gave me that feeling.
We explored the city with a local guide and ended up in the castle, which was just fantastic. I am an avid fan of castles, and if i could have a fantasy home, then that would be it!
The only real optional extra for the tour was the scottish folklore night, which turned out to be a little too cheesy and unfortunately with fairly ordinary food. It certainly was not worth the 50 pounds cost. Particularly not when we met up with some people who got free tickets to the night cos they had been staying at the hotel that it was hosted in.
That particular night turned out to be fairly random, with the canadian girl Margaret, myself, one of the french canadian girls Caroline meeting up with four other people who themselves were strangers to each other (well it was a couple from yorkshire and two guys who knew each other .. Harry from Finland and Renno who was also french canadian ...) they all wanted to go out, so we headed out to the nearest pub ... Renno was funny as he was in full scottish regalia having bought himself a kilt, shirt and shoes ...
The first pub I asked whether they would be closing soon (as it was 10.30pm and some pubs seem to shut smartly at 11pm) ... well, the barmaid was from Australia ... adelaide to be exact. The night kicked on and we ended up in the Old Town at a bar and having a great time ... until i remembered we had to be up early to head off in the morning. So we called it a night at 2am or so and just going back to my above point, in no other city would I have considered wandering around drunk as I was, but it felt like a typical night out in Melbourne.
After Edinburgh we drove further into the highlands, stopping at St Andrews, the home of golf and also nearby on the beach is where the scene for Chariots of Fire was filmed. By this stage of the tour Id become friendly with Cathy and Ian, a couple from near Mortlake in Victoria, they were a lovely couple and it was their first time overseas, most mornings we sat together and were joined by Margaret, a canadian girl with no fear of going out to the wee hours (she had way more stamina than me!).
We also visited a whiskey distillery for the Glenlivet brand and I tasted an 18 year old sample which was delicious and smooth. You could tell the non whiskey drinkers by the cries of ´oh it burns it burns´ which was most amusing.
The third night we stayed at a ski resort town of Aviemore with a hotel room that had views of the mountains (some of which had snow on them) and forest ... another postcard moment, this was in the Cairngorm Mountains.
It was the next morning that I had haggis for breakfast, although Id tasted it the night in Edinburgh. It really was just like spicy mince, and not at all what you would think. I drew the line at having black pudding though! (congealed blood).
After Aviemore on day four we drove onward ( I think it was day three we caught a brief glimpse of Balmoral Castle ... no chance of a photo there as too many high trees and we didnt stop (well you are not allowed to). We drove through the battlefield of Culloden Moor and saw all the flags, but we didnt stop, which was a shame.
Our first stop of the day was at Iverness, the highland capital and then we headed on again this time stopping at Loch Ness .... nope, didnt see the monster ....or did I?? (you will have to wait for the photos).
After Loch Ness we stopped for photos again at the castle that was in the first highlander film - Eilean Donan Castle. No chance of a toilet stop there as about 50 billion coaches full of 80+ year olds who all lined up for probably one toilet in the tourist information place.
Hmm this blog is sounding just like a driving description, but to be fair, we did an awful lot of driving that day - not that it worried me as the scenery was just spectacular.
After crossing a bridge, driving across the Island of Skye, we caught a ferry, which Margaret got pretty excited about as she had never been on a ferry before.
The next photo stop of this long driving day was at Glenfinnan, the alleged site of where Bonnie Prince Charlie hoisted his standard in 1745 (that led to the battle of Culloden after they retreated back from just outside London). Also nearby this stop was a bridge that has appeared in Harry Potter films, so I took a photo of that too.
Our stop for day 4 and day 5 was a town called Oba,which is a fishing port. It was a nice little town, if a bit on the tired side and in need of a spruce up. That kind of described our hotel, which was quite nice but definitely in need of renovation. Ended up at a bar next door for a few hours talking with the locals who were all pretty friendly, although it did take me a bit to tune into the accent!
Day 5 we headed from Oban by ferry (the coach came on the ferry) and we drove across the Island of Mull to get to another ferry to the Isle of Iona ... that was a pretty little town with a rebuilt Abbey where in 563 St Columba established one of the first Christian monasteries on british soil.
that night we had to fend for ourselves for dinner in Oban and a few of us did a recce on the main street and found a homely little fish n chip restaurant and booked a table. About 8 of us turned up there, and were charmed by the young scottish girl who was the maitre´d .. she had everything under control, busily clearing tables, taking orders, making small talk and ordering other staff around ...she was awesome! Funnily enough the four kiwis turned up at the same place, so we gave the a bit of a ribbing about following aussies (well we had americans and canadians on the table but most of us were aussie) the locals had no idea what to make of us as we were quite loud but the maitre´d thought it was hilarious and even said when we left that she´d miss all the fun. We ended up giving her a fairly generous tip, as the food was served promptly and it was delicious.
Afterwards we had some drinks at the hotel and were entertained by a strange old guy who joined us and was trying to crack onto one of the american women ... no chance!
Day 6 we visited Inveraray which was a lovely little town, there was a piper at the coach parking who piped us in, which was pretty cool. It was here that I managed to pick up a nice gift for my cousin Lauren of a cashmere scarf, (which she loved when I gave it to her). Ian, Cathy and I went to a little cafe where I had the most delicious piece of pavola EVER! Another local (old guy) started talking to us there and he had the thickest accent yet I´ve heard in Scotland.
Ian couldn´t understand a word he was saying, but I could follow most of it, and he was saying how most of the barstaff were australians plus some worked at the bank in the town. He was also telling us to go in a certain door at the local hotel because then we would get cheaper prices ... too bad we were only stopping there for about 45 minutes!
We stopped again at the Rest and be Thankful road and Loch Lomond, where we got a group shot (organised by ourselves) and thank you to the random woman who took about 5 shots using different cameras and took direction from me as to the best spot to stand to take it!
Then we left the highlands and headed to Glasgow. Which reminded me a bit of the feel of Sydney. We only had a few hours to wander around the main centre of the city, but it was pretty nice and we ran into some fantastic buskers - a bagpiper, two drummers and two african guys playing bongo drums - Im telling you it totally rocked! (and yes i recorded a bit of it on video).
Then Angela (aussie woman) and Beth (american woman) and I searched the streets of Glasgow for a pub .... after asking locals who didnt seem to know where any pubs were we found a reasonable pub to have a quick pint at before we had to head back to the meeting point. I also spotted Dr who´s tardis in two different spots in the city (and had also spotted it in Edinburgh).
The hotel where we were staying at was really nice, probably one of the nicest of the both tours i have done and certainly the most organised when it came to dinner! AND it even had free internet which was just awesome ... although there was much entertainment as there was a school social on at the hotel, so lots of girls and guys running around drunk at all hours of the night!
Day 7 was the long long long drive back to London - not everyone came back with us, the french canadian girls had left us at glasgow to pick up a camper van .... interesting fact there was that the girl (amelie) doing the driving had only driven manuals three times and never had driven a big van before ... I think she was quite stressed especially as some of the roads they would be driving on were really just footpaths in disguise!
Eventually we got back to London and I was worried about hooking up with my cousin Lauren, but needn´t have worried as I literally stepped off the coach and she was there!
Hmmm well this has been a long blog entry and Ive probably missed out some stuff if I had been keeping it every day - ah well, the photographs will tell the story of what a beautiful country Scotland is - Im definitely coming back.
Sunday morning I got a cooked breakfast in my room which got me started and I went downstairs to join up the tour, as it turned out we had a small group compared to the previous tour I did where there were 44 people, this time only 25, so plenty of room on the coach.
there was a mixed bag of people, less new zealanders than last time, but they were amongst the first to talk to me. Amongst the other nationalities were Canadian, french-canadian, australian, indian and american.
It was a long drive up to Edinburgh where we stayed the first two nights and we had a great hotel in both quality and location, which was overlooking the old city, I have some great photos of the castle and the the view.
I have to say that Edinburgh is the first city I have felt totally at home and relaxed in for the whole tour. It just had a familiar air about it. There was no other city that gave me that feeling.
We explored the city with a local guide and ended up in the castle, which was just fantastic. I am an avid fan of castles, and if i could have a fantasy home, then that would be it!
The only real optional extra for the tour was the scottish folklore night, which turned out to be a little too cheesy and unfortunately with fairly ordinary food. It certainly was not worth the 50 pounds cost. Particularly not when we met up with some people who got free tickets to the night cos they had been staying at the hotel that it was hosted in.
That particular night turned out to be fairly random, with the canadian girl Margaret, myself, one of the french canadian girls Caroline meeting up with four other people who themselves were strangers to each other (well it was a couple from yorkshire and two guys who knew each other .. Harry from Finland and Renno who was also french canadian ...) they all wanted to go out, so we headed out to the nearest pub ... Renno was funny as he was in full scottish regalia having bought himself a kilt, shirt and shoes ...
The first pub I asked whether they would be closing soon (as it was 10.30pm and some pubs seem to shut smartly at 11pm) ... well, the barmaid was from Australia ... adelaide to be exact. The night kicked on and we ended up in the Old Town at a bar and having a great time ... until i remembered we had to be up early to head off in the morning. So we called it a night at 2am or so and just going back to my above point, in no other city would I have considered wandering around drunk as I was, but it felt like a typical night out in Melbourne.
After Edinburgh we drove further into the highlands, stopping at St Andrews, the home of golf and also nearby on the beach is where the scene for Chariots of Fire was filmed. By this stage of the tour Id become friendly with Cathy and Ian, a couple from near Mortlake in Victoria, they were a lovely couple and it was their first time overseas, most mornings we sat together and were joined by Margaret, a canadian girl with no fear of going out to the wee hours (she had way more stamina than me!).
We also visited a whiskey distillery for the Glenlivet brand and I tasted an 18 year old sample which was delicious and smooth. You could tell the non whiskey drinkers by the cries of ´oh it burns it burns´ which was most amusing.
The third night we stayed at a ski resort town of Aviemore with a hotel room that had views of the mountains (some of which had snow on them) and forest ... another postcard moment, this was in the Cairngorm Mountains.
It was the next morning that I had haggis for breakfast, although Id tasted it the night in Edinburgh. It really was just like spicy mince, and not at all what you would think. I drew the line at having black pudding though! (congealed blood).
After Aviemore on day four we drove onward ( I think it was day three we caught a brief glimpse of Balmoral Castle ... no chance of a photo there as too many high trees and we didnt stop (well you are not allowed to). We drove through the battlefield of Culloden Moor and saw all the flags, but we didnt stop, which was a shame.
Our first stop of the day was at Iverness, the highland capital and then we headed on again this time stopping at Loch Ness .... nope, didnt see the monster ....or did I?? (you will have to wait for the photos).
After Loch Ness we stopped for photos again at the castle that was in the first highlander film - Eilean Donan Castle. No chance of a toilet stop there as about 50 billion coaches full of 80+ year olds who all lined up for probably one toilet in the tourist information place.
Hmm this blog is sounding just like a driving description, but to be fair, we did an awful lot of driving that day - not that it worried me as the scenery was just spectacular.
After crossing a bridge, driving across the Island of Skye, we caught a ferry, which Margaret got pretty excited about as she had never been on a ferry before.
The next photo stop of this long driving day was at Glenfinnan, the alleged site of where Bonnie Prince Charlie hoisted his standard in 1745 (that led to the battle of Culloden after they retreated back from just outside London). Also nearby this stop was a bridge that has appeared in Harry Potter films, so I took a photo of that too.
Our stop for day 4 and day 5 was a town called Oba,which is a fishing port. It was a nice little town, if a bit on the tired side and in need of a spruce up. That kind of described our hotel, which was quite nice but definitely in need of renovation. Ended up at a bar next door for a few hours talking with the locals who were all pretty friendly, although it did take me a bit to tune into the accent!
Day 5 we headed from Oban by ferry (the coach came on the ferry) and we drove across the Island of Mull to get to another ferry to the Isle of Iona ... that was a pretty little town with a rebuilt Abbey where in 563 St Columba established one of the first Christian monasteries on british soil.
that night we had to fend for ourselves for dinner in Oban and a few of us did a recce on the main street and found a homely little fish n chip restaurant and booked a table. About 8 of us turned up there, and were charmed by the young scottish girl who was the maitre´d .. she had everything under control, busily clearing tables, taking orders, making small talk and ordering other staff around ...she was awesome! Funnily enough the four kiwis turned up at the same place, so we gave the a bit of a ribbing about following aussies (well we had americans and canadians on the table but most of us were aussie) the locals had no idea what to make of us as we were quite loud but the maitre´d thought it was hilarious and even said when we left that she´d miss all the fun. We ended up giving her a fairly generous tip, as the food was served promptly and it was delicious.
Afterwards we had some drinks at the hotel and were entertained by a strange old guy who joined us and was trying to crack onto one of the american women ... no chance!
Day 6 we visited Inveraray which was a lovely little town, there was a piper at the coach parking who piped us in, which was pretty cool. It was here that I managed to pick up a nice gift for my cousin Lauren of a cashmere scarf, (which she loved when I gave it to her). Ian, Cathy and I went to a little cafe where I had the most delicious piece of pavola EVER! Another local (old guy) started talking to us there and he had the thickest accent yet I´ve heard in Scotland.
Ian couldn´t understand a word he was saying, but I could follow most of it, and he was saying how most of the barstaff were australians plus some worked at the bank in the town. He was also telling us to go in a certain door at the local hotel because then we would get cheaper prices ... too bad we were only stopping there for about 45 minutes!
We stopped again at the Rest and be Thankful road and Loch Lomond, where we got a group shot (organised by ourselves) and thank you to the random woman who took about 5 shots using different cameras and took direction from me as to the best spot to stand to take it!
Then we left the highlands and headed to Glasgow. Which reminded me a bit of the feel of Sydney. We only had a few hours to wander around the main centre of the city, but it was pretty nice and we ran into some fantastic buskers - a bagpiper, two drummers and two african guys playing bongo drums - Im telling you it totally rocked! (and yes i recorded a bit of it on video).
Then Angela (aussie woman) and Beth (american woman) and I searched the streets of Glasgow for a pub .... after asking locals who didnt seem to know where any pubs were we found a reasonable pub to have a quick pint at before we had to head back to the meeting point. I also spotted Dr who´s tardis in two different spots in the city (and had also spotted it in Edinburgh).
The hotel where we were staying at was really nice, probably one of the nicest of the both tours i have done and certainly the most organised when it came to dinner! AND it even had free internet which was just awesome ... although there was much entertainment as there was a school social on at the hotel, so lots of girls and guys running around drunk at all hours of the night!
Day 7 was the long long long drive back to London - not everyone came back with us, the french canadian girls had left us at glasgow to pick up a camper van .... interesting fact there was that the girl (amelie) doing the driving had only driven manuals three times and never had driven a big van before ... I think she was quite stressed especially as some of the roads they would be driving on were really just footpaths in disguise!
Eventually we got back to London and I was worried about hooking up with my cousin Lauren, but needn´t have worried as I literally stepped off the coach and she was there!
Hmmm well this has been a long blog entry and Ive probably missed out some stuff if I had been keeping it every day - ah well, the photographs will tell the story of what a beautiful country Scotland is - Im definitely coming back.
Day 15 Paris to London Saturday 7th June
It was an early wake up and take your own bags down to the coach today, and not everyone was there as some had left last night or earlier in the morning.
A strange feeling to be sure, as the past two weeks had been so frenetic and busy and now it was all over and people talked of their next plans, some were going onto other tours (like me) some flying home and others doing more travel by themselves.
The trip to Calais was fairly quiet although quite jolly at times, I think Mark enjoyed us as a group, and Im pretty sure his next group (which had much less aussies and kiwis) will not be as much fun.
So at Calais we said goodbye to Mark and Luigi, and boarded the ferry. The same core group of Freeman, Alison and myself plus a few others went to the same lounge onboard where we spent the trip over. Ordered some beers and a cornish pastie and kicked back.
there was a girl going around offering massages and Freeman asked for one, the look on his face was of pure bliss so I asked for one as well, alison got some classic photographs of me whilst I was getting the massage. Im not such a fan of the massage anywhere near my ribs (so sensitive there) but the neck, head and ears had me just about falling asleep.
When I asked how much it cost she just said to me to pay what i thought it was worth, so I forked over 20 euro - which funnily enough was the amount Freeman had handed over too.
All too soon we were back on a bus heading to London, which took what seemed like forever and once again at the Thistle euston ... my biggest problem now was getting to the other hotel where i was staying that night. Luckily Id talking to Hillary and her mum Viv and they were more or less going the same way (Kensington area) as me so we organised a taxi with the concierge for a flat rate of 25 pounds. As it turned out their hotel was more or less around the corner from mine.
This night I was supposed to update all my blogs and write email but I ended up watching team america on the tv and going to sleep, but not before making sure Id ordered breakfast inroom for the morning.
A strange feeling to be sure, as the past two weeks had been so frenetic and busy and now it was all over and people talked of their next plans, some were going onto other tours (like me) some flying home and others doing more travel by themselves.
The trip to Calais was fairly quiet although quite jolly at times, I think Mark enjoyed us as a group, and Im pretty sure his next group (which had much less aussies and kiwis) will not be as much fun.
So at Calais we said goodbye to Mark and Luigi, and boarded the ferry. The same core group of Freeman, Alison and myself plus a few others went to the same lounge onboard where we spent the trip over. Ordered some beers and a cornish pastie and kicked back.
there was a girl going around offering massages and Freeman asked for one, the look on his face was of pure bliss so I asked for one as well, alison got some classic photographs of me whilst I was getting the massage. Im not such a fan of the massage anywhere near my ribs (so sensitive there) but the neck, head and ears had me just about falling asleep.
When I asked how much it cost she just said to me to pay what i thought it was worth, so I forked over 20 euro - which funnily enough was the amount Freeman had handed over too.
All too soon we were back on a bus heading to London, which took what seemed like forever and once again at the Thistle euston ... my biggest problem now was getting to the other hotel where i was staying that night. Luckily Id talking to Hillary and her mum Viv and they were more or less going the same way (Kensington area) as me so we organised a taxi with the concierge for a flat rate of 25 pounds. As it turned out their hotel was more or less around the corner from mine.
This night I was supposed to update all my blogs and write email but I ended up watching team america on the tv and going to sleep, but not before making sure Id ordered breakfast inroom for the morning.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Day 14 Paris Friday June 6 2008
Well this is the last day of the tour and it was a mixed day, some of the tour had already left this morning (an english couple from Perth WA) but the majority of us went on the morning tour with a local guide which was quite frankly crap.
Both her and the driver gave us the worst tour of Paris with barely any chances to take photographs. We would have been better ditching them and taking one of the open top double decker buses.
At Notre Dame cathedral we spent 25 minutes hanging around a souvenir shop and wandering where our guide had gone ... which meant we had less than 5 minutes at the Eiffel tower and we didnt walk underneath as we all thought we were supposed to do.
Alison and I got done by the dodgy bloke coming towards us and pointing at a ring on the ground trick picking it up and coming towards us ... Mark had warned us about this and as Alison had her purse open I moved in front of her and told the guy to piss off & for alison to stay behind me ... he scarpered pretty quickly ... unbelievable!
a few of us had also stopped a potential pickpocket attempt in Notre Dame by two guys who pretended to be listening to our guide as they moved toward Vincent (the oldest guy on the tour) irony was he never has anything of value on him! I spotted this guy and I just kept staring at him ... Damien and Nick spotted him too and moved around him and between his mate ... when they realised we had made them ... they quickly moved off ... but they were hanging around the exit of the church ... again I walked straight at them with Damien and Nick staring at them and stayed between them and our group ... they got the message and moved away.
The optional trip I did was to Versaille palace and that was just totally mindblowing how big the place was and how opulent it was... the gardens were something else too. Yet again more north african parasites hanging around pestering tourists ... they are everywhere in Paris and really annoying ...
This evening we had the farewell dinner. Mark took us up into Montmatre which is the heart of bohemian paris up in hills overlooking the city. We saw the sacre-couer church and soaked up the atmosphere and had Crepes ... I went to a shop by myself and used french to order and got myself into all sorts of strife as I missed a part of the reply and the shop assistant thought i was paying for the crepe being cooked which was for a girl waiting ... anyway, it meant that once the dust had settled, I had a 10 minute chat up with a cute french girl ... before I realised I was late for meeting up with the rest of the group!
Dinner was with frog legs, snails and other great french food and lots of wine and beer. Farewells were said and Nick kept his promise and did a hakka on the streets of paris, not once but twice and everyone was impressed, including the locals and the american tourists who videoed it.
After we got back to the hotel, nick and i went up the street to find a little bar and had a few more beers and a chat before we staggered back and went to bed.
I will have to come back to Paris, so much more to see and do here. Looks like I will have to keep an original promise to a friend in regards to this.
Both her and the driver gave us the worst tour of Paris with barely any chances to take photographs. We would have been better ditching them and taking one of the open top double decker buses.
At Notre Dame cathedral we spent 25 minutes hanging around a souvenir shop and wandering where our guide had gone ... which meant we had less than 5 minutes at the Eiffel tower and we didnt walk underneath as we all thought we were supposed to do.
Alison and I got done by the dodgy bloke coming towards us and pointing at a ring on the ground trick picking it up and coming towards us ... Mark had warned us about this and as Alison had her purse open I moved in front of her and told the guy to piss off & for alison to stay behind me ... he scarpered pretty quickly ... unbelievable!
a few of us had also stopped a potential pickpocket attempt in Notre Dame by two guys who pretended to be listening to our guide as they moved toward Vincent (the oldest guy on the tour) irony was he never has anything of value on him! I spotted this guy and I just kept staring at him ... Damien and Nick spotted him too and moved around him and between his mate ... when they realised we had made them ... they quickly moved off ... but they were hanging around the exit of the church ... again I walked straight at them with Damien and Nick staring at them and stayed between them and our group ... they got the message and moved away.
The optional trip I did was to Versaille palace and that was just totally mindblowing how big the place was and how opulent it was... the gardens were something else too. Yet again more north african parasites hanging around pestering tourists ... they are everywhere in Paris and really annoying ...
This evening we had the farewell dinner. Mark took us up into Montmatre which is the heart of bohemian paris up in hills overlooking the city. We saw the sacre-couer church and soaked up the atmosphere and had Crepes ... I went to a shop by myself and used french to order and got myself into all sorts of strife as I missed a part of the reply and the shop assistant thought i was paying for the crepe being cooked which was for a girl waiting ... anyway, it meant that once the dust had settled, I had a 10 minute chat up with a cute french girl ... before I realised I was late for meeting up with the rest of the group!
Dinner was with frog legs, snails and other great french food and lots of wine and beer. Farewells were said and Nick kept his promise and did a hakka on the streets of paris, not once but twice and everyone was impressed, including the locals and the american tourists who videoed it.
After we got back to the hotel, nick and i went up the street to find a little bar and had a few more beers and a chat before we staggered back and went to bed.
I will have to come back to Paris, so much more to see and do here. Looks like I will have to keep an original promise to a friend in regards to this.
Day 13 Lake Lucerne to Paris Thursday June 5 2008
Somehow managed to wake up this morning at 6am or so for the 6.45am luggage call and struggled to breakfast. Fortunately I was not the worst this morning as both Hillary and Nick overindulged last night and were definitely the worst for wear, with Hillary taking the chucky crown off Nick in full view of everyone before we got on the coach this morning to depart. It was also Margarets 70th birthday today so we had a few birthday horns to blow as she came to the coach and Dave let off what he thought would be a bigger firecracker but really just popped out some party hats and stuff. He had already decorated her seat on the coach with balloons.
Today is a big day of driving so no sightseeing and just crossing the border between Switzerland and France as I type this, again no border controls, so apart from the ferry at Dover in England I have not showed my passport anywhere on this particular tour.
Bit of a dismal and gloomy day today, so definitely a good day to catch up on my blog entries which I have neglected since leaving Venice. Then again internet access has been pretty much non-existent so that hasnt helped with the motivation factor. I should have grabbed a vodafone sim card in UK and used that in one of my mobiles that I have with me as a usb modem as Im pretty sure the roaming agreements with vodafone UK would have enabled this, anyway, will know better next time (along with an extra power adaptor if I go back to italy).
Tonight in Paris I was supposed to head off the cabaret show but as I had struggled all day with a cold I decided to skip the excursion even though Id paid for it and there were apparently bare boobies. So instead a few of us (Freeman, alison, Nic & Josie and anne and Bernie headed up the main street from the hotel and found a bar/restaurant for dinner where freeman ordered frogs legs. I also tried out a bit more of my french for ordering.
After dinner I had an earlier night and tried to sleep off the cold.
Today is a big day of driving so no sightseeing and just crossing the border between Switzerland and France as I type this, again no border controls, so apart from the ferry at Dover in England I have not showed my passport anywhere on this particular tour.
Bit of a dismal and gloomy day today, so definitely a good day to catch up on my blog entries which I have neglected since leaving Venice. Then again internet access has been pretty much non-existent so that hasnt helped with the motivation factor. I should have grabbed a vodafone sim card in UK and used that in one of my mobiles that I have with me as a usb modem as Im pretty sure the roaming agreements with vodafone UK would have enabled this, anyway, will know better next time (along with an extra power adaptor if I go back to italy).
Tonight in Paris I was supposed to head off the cabaret show but as I had struggled all day with a cold I decided to skip the excursion even though Id paid for it and there were apparently bare boobies. So instead a few of us (Freeman, alison, Nic & Josie and anne and Bernie headed up the main street from the hotel and found a bar/restaurant for dinner where freeman ordered frogs legs. I also tried out a bit more of my french for ordering.
After dinner I had an earlier night and tried to sleep off the cold.
Day 12 Lake Lucerne Switzerland Wednesday June 4 2008
A full day here in Switzerland and unfortunately the worst weather of the tour so far with constant rain this morning and all the mountains misted over with clouds so doubtful I will get many nice photographs today.
Woke up this morning feeling pretty tired due to being kept awake by the arrival of the dreaded lurgy (cold) that has been creeping around the coach and various people, probably something you cannot avoid even with popping multivitamins.
Also the lovely church that I so admired up on the hill near the hotel had bells which kept the time regularly every 15 minutes, plus half hour plus on the hour (two different tonal sets) plus at 6am there was a call to service that tolled for several minutes.
Couple that with the train line just on the lakeshore in front of the hotel and Lucerne being a major rail nexus point for Switzerland so trains every few minutes it was no surprise to find out that I was not the only person suffering from lack of sleep today.
Anyway, we headed off for a short orientation drive around Lucerne, then some of us went to the boat tour on the lake whilst the others were dropped off in the town to do shopping. The boat tour, although with the rain and clouds dampening the atmosphere a bit was great and there was not one stretch of the lakeshore that didnt have some sort of habitation.
After the boat tour we met up with the rest of the group and went to a particular shop that sold watches, knives etc etc. I guess some people love the shopping aspect of travelling but myself it bores me to tears, as Id rather be doing some sightseeing or just sitting at a nice bar or cafe and watching the locals. Thankfully the transfer to the mountain excursion was only about 45 minutes after this.
You know you must be getting higher up in altitude when in the coach your ears are popping already. As we headed up Mt Titlis (yes yes snigger away, we made all those jokes already) I was a bit worried as the last time I went up a cable car system up a high mountain about four years ago in Romania I also had a cold and lost my hearing in one ear for a few days as on the way down I couldnt equalise properly.
I can say that after experiencing the mountain, I cant believe some people elected to spend the whole day in Lucerne shopping. To get to the top of the mountain where the resort was we had to take 3 different cable car systems and in total it took around 30 minutes.
The first set were little 6 person cars, the next one was a bigger one car system that handled around 80 people and the last cable car was a wizzbang circular one that rotated around to give 360 degree views.
Unfortunately that was a bit wasted today as the mountain was clouded over, so essentially you saw nothing, hence I didnt take all that many photographs.
At the top was a huge five level building with several restaurants and the highest bar in europe (tragically it was CLOSED) but Freeman and I managed to get a beer in the cafeteria the level below, so I guess it almost qualifies!
We walked outside and I was glad that I had packed several layers including my waterproof jacket as it was snowing! Goodness, I was excited as Ive not been in snow since i was a kid. anyway, another option you could do was the Ice Flyer that was a chair lift that went over the crevasses of the glacier up the top of the mountain. Of the 25 or so of us, only 9 selected to do this – Luigi our driver had come up the mountain too, but he chickened out of doing this open chairlift.
Again, couldnt really see much with the chairlift due to the snow and mist, but on the other side there was a set-up where you could go down in an inner tube, and man, that was awesome fun, I almost came a cropper as I slid down backwards and around a huge bank (it was kind of like a bobsled track carved out of the snow.
Most of us wanted to have another go, but here is where I again have to mention my least favorite part of the trip in dealing with other tourists particularly from india. This particular mountain was obviously very popular with the indians and they again showed how rude and impolite and selfish that a large majority of them are.
The innertube ride, you rode down in the inner tube and then came back up an escalator with your tube where you were supposed to deposit them so people waiting to go down could grab them.
Well, this is the theory but for a whole group of indians they followed a different theory which was to keep hold of their tubes and hand them to their friends waiting up the top and not in the line waiting to go down. Just selfish really but as I mentioned, whenever I have encountered indians on this trip they are often rude, pushy and well if this makes me sound a bit racist well so be it.
Anyway apart from that incident, the whole Mt Titlus experience ranks as one of the best of my whole trip so far. As I came down the mountain unfortunately I did suffer some ear problems that are continuing today as we drive to Paris (when Im writing this).
After the mountain excursion (and having to wait another 20 minutes for two of our tour, Bernie and his wife Ann who got the meeting times wrong & had to wait for another cable car to come down) we headed back to Lucerne for another two hours of free time.
Freeman and I had already decided we were not into shopping so wandered around until we found a bar next to the river and sunk a few half-litres of beer until it was time to head back to the hotel.
This evening we had a dinner in the hotel, followed by some free wine afterwards which was Marks way of apologising for the poor seating we had the previous night at the Swiss folklore evening.
Wisely I called it an early night as I could see Nick, Hillary and Sally hooking into the drinks and I knew there was no way Id keep up and plus with my cold it was best catch some sleep. Yes if you are reading this Nick, youd be calling me a skippy pommie poofter for piking on a big night but Im sitting here looking normal on the coach and you are nearby still looking green!
Woke up this morning feeling pretty tired due to being kept awake by the arrival of the dreaded lurgy (cold) that has been creeping around the coach and various people, probably something you cannot avoid even with popping multivitamins.
Also the lovely church that I so admired up on the hill near the hotel had bells which kept the time regularly every 15 minutes, plus half hour plus on the hour (two different tonal sets) plus at 6am there was a call to service that tolled for several minutes.
Couple that with the train line just on the lakeshore in front of the hotel and Lucerne being a major rail nexus point for Switzerland so trains every few minutes it was no surprise to find out that I was not the only person suffering from lack of sleep today.
Anyway, we headed off for a short orientation drive around Lucerne, then some of us went to the boat tour on the lake whilst the others were dropped off in the town to do shopping. The boat tour, although with the rain and clouds dampening the atmosphere a bit was great and there was not one stretch of the lakeshore that didnt have some sort of habitation.
After the boat tour we met up with the rest of the group and went to a particular shop that sold watches, knives etc etc. I guess some people love the shopping aspect of travelling but myself it bores me to tears, as Id rather be doing some sightseeing or just sitting at a nice bar or cafe and watching the locals. Thankfully the transfer to the mountain excursion was only about 45 minutes after this.
You know you must be getting higher up in altitude when in the coach your ears are popping already. As we headed up Mt Titlis (yes yes snigger away, we made all those jokes already) I was a bit worried as the last time I went up a cable car system up a high mountain about four years ago in Romania I also had a cold and lost my hearing in one ear for a few days as on the way down I couldnt equalise properly.
I can say that after experiencing the mountain, I cant believe some people elected to spend the whole day in Lucerne shopping. To get to the top of the mountain where the resort was we had to take 3 different cable car systems and in total it took around 30 minutes.
The first set were little 6 person cars, the next one was a bigger one car system that handled around 80 people and the last cable car was a wizzbang circular one that rotated around to give 360 degree views.
Unfortunately that was a bit wasted today as the mountain was clouded over, so essentially you saw nothing, hence I didnt take all that many photographs.
At the top was a huge five level building with several restaurants and the highest bar in europe (tragically it was CLOSED) but Freeman and I managed to get a beer in the cafeteria the level below, so I guess it almost qualifies!
We walked outside and I was glad that I had packed several layers including my waterproof jacket as it was snowing! Goodness, I was excited as Ive not been in snow since i was a kid. anyway, another option you could do was the Ice Flyer that was a chair lift that went over the crevasses of the glacier up the top of the mountain. Of the 25 or so of us, only 9 selected to do this – Luigi our driver had come up the mountain too, but he chickened out of doing this open chairlift.
Again, couldnt really see much with the chairlift due to the snow and mist, but on the other side there was a set-up where you could go down in an inner tube, and man, that was awesome fun, I almost came a cropper as I slid down backwards and around a huge bank (it was kind of like a bobsled track carved out of the snow.
Most of us wanted to have another go, but here is where I again have to mention my least favorite part of the trip in dealing with other tourists particularly from india. This particular mountain was obviously very popular with the indians and they again showed how rude and impolite and selfish that a large majority of them are.
The innertube ride, you rode down in the inner tube and then came back up an escalator with your tube where you were supposed to deposit them so people waiting to go down could grab them.
Well, this is the theory but for a whole group of indians they followed a different theory which was to keep hold of their tubes and hand them to their friends waiting up the top and not in the line waiting to go down. Just selfish really but as I mentioned, whenever I have encountered indians on this trip they are often rude, pushy and well if this makes me sound a bit racist well so be it.
Anyway apart from that incident, the whole Mt Titlus experience ranks as one of the best of my whole trip so far. As I came down the mountain unfortunately I did suffer some ear problems that are continuing today as we drive to Paris (when Im writing this).
After the mountain excursion (and having to wait another 20 minutes for two of our tour, Bernie and his wife Ann who got the meeting times wrong & had to wait for another cable car to come down) we headed back to Lucerne for another two hours of free time.
Freeman and I had already decided we were not into shopping so wandered around until we found a bar next to the river and sunk a few half-litres of beer until it was time to head back to the hotel.
This evening we had a dinner in the hotel, followed by some free wine afterwards which was Marks way of apologising for the poor seating we had the previous night at the Swiss folklore evening.
Wisely I called it an early night as I could see Nick, Hillary and Sally hooking into the drinks and I knew there was no way Id keep up and plus with my cold it was best catch some sleep. Yes if you are reading this Nick, youd be calling me a skippy pommie poofter for piking on a big night but Im sitting here looking normal on the coach and you are nearby still looking green!
Day 11 Florence to Lake Lucerne Switzerland Tuesday June 3 2008
Today was another long day of driving through mountains, tunnels and more mountains and tunnels to reach Switzerland and the weather turned on us.
We are staying by a lake and great views of mountains and the lake but you can tell the weather is closing in.
In between the drive we stopped for lunch at a resort called Lugano which is by a lake and is kind of subtropical in temperate due to being on one side of the mountain. Could have spent longer in this town.
This evening we went to a swiss folklore evening the lucerne itself, which was ok ... except our seats were really crap, and we had loud loud germans who were not interested in the show going on and more on hassling the barmaids and drinking as much as they could. We ate cheese fondue, and I got my head licked by a cow (well by the cow which was two guys in cow suit) ewww ... I also swiped a ceramic stein for Freeman ... proving I still have the skill at swiping glasses and stuff from bars!
We are staying by a lake and great views of mountains and the lake but you can tell the weather is closing in.
In between the drive we stopped for lunch at a resort called Lugano which is by a lake and is kind of subtropical in temperate due to being on one side of the mountain. Could have spent longer in this town.
This evening we went to a swiss folklore evening the lucerne itself, which was ok ... except our seats were really crap, and we had loud loud germans who were not interested in the show going on and more on hassling the barmaids and drinking as much as they could. We ate cheese fondue, and I got my head licked by a cow (well by the cow which was two guys in cow suit) ewww ... I also swiped a ceramic stein for Freeman ... proving I still have the skill at swiping glasses and stuff from bars!
Day 10 Rome to Florence Monday June 2 2008
This morning was a debacle with breakfast. Another tour decided to come earlier for their breakfast than they were scheduled into a breakfast room that already struggled to fit our whole tour. Whilst we did the right thing and lined up for serving ourselves, the other guys didnt, and to make matters worse, they even moved our bags from the seats we had saved for ourselves whilst we lined up. To add insult to injury, there was literally no food left when i got to the line and even a few minutes later there was not much more being brought out and this morning we were on a tight schedule to leave the hotel and get to into the city to get into the vatican musuem.
Anyway, I did manage to grab something and eat it standing up, but I certainly said a few choice words to the particular people who took our seats. It was probably lost on them as they were russians, in fact I know they didnt understand me as I added at the end of my little rant Putin is a gay pin-up boy ... and still got the same blank look from them!
In the end we got to the vatican museum on time and well ... sistine chapel is just mind blowing and my neck is still sore from looking up at it for so long.
I have a special mention of a pet hate of mine ... fucking stupid tourists who dont know how to turn off their flashes. NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY means just that. I felt like bitch slapping some of the people on my tour who kept taking photographs of 500 year old tapestries with the flash going ... derrr ... and to make matters worse the stupid member of our tour actually reached over the rope to grab the tapestry and feel ... oh my smelly jocks how dumb can you get! how ignorant .. this is a piece of artwork and I will rub my sweaty paws all over it! Seriously some people should just stay home and not be allowed to look at historical stuff at all. ARGGH!
After the tour we travelled to Florence, which was a bit of a drive but through lovely countryside and into the tuscan area. We arrived at a lookout that had a great view of the city and got a group shot taken, then down into the city where we had a walking tour of the city with a local guide. Really loved the city and took quite a few shots. Would like to see the real statue of David, rather than the copy standing in the original place.
Funny incident saw a japanese tourist going mental at another japanese guy, yelling, gesturing chasing after him, almost hitting him ... no idea what the story was there but my camera was ready!
Freeman and I managed to indulge in some beer and admire some of the beauty wandering around the city before we all had to head back to the coach and to the hotel further out of the city where we were staying ... definitely have to come back to florence and that area.
Anyway, I did manage to grab something and eat it standing up, but I certainly said a few choice words to the particular people who took our seats. It was probably lost on them as they were russians, in fact I know they didnt understand me as I added at the end of my little rant Putin is a gay pin-up boy ... and still got the same blank look from them!
In the end we got to the vatican museum on time and well ... sistine chapel is just mind blowing and my neck is still sore from looking up at it for so long.
I have a special mention of a pet hate of mine ... fucking stupid tourists who dont know how to turn off their flashes. NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY means just that. I felt like bitch slapping some of the people on my tour who kept taking photographs of 500 year old tapestries with the flash going ... derrr ... and to make matters worse the stupid member of our tour actually reached over the rope to grab the tapestry and feel ... oh my smelly jocks how dumb can you get! how ignorant .. this is a piece of artwork and I will rub my sweaty paws all over it! Seriously some people should just stay home and not be allowed to look at historical stuff at all. ARGGH!
After the tour we travelled to Florence, which was a bit of a drive but through lovely countryside and into the tuscan area. We arrived at a lookout that had a great view of the city and got a group shot taken, then down into the city where we had a walking tour of the city with a local guide. Really loved the city and took quite a few shots. Would like to see the real statue of David, rather than the copy standing in the original place.
Funny incident saw a japanese tourist going mental at another japanese guy, yelling, gesturing chasing after him, almost hitting him ... no idea what the story was there but my camera was ready!
Freeman and I managed to indulge in some beer and admire some of the beauty wandering around the city before we all had to head back to the coach and to the hotel further out of the city where we were staying ... definitely have to come back to florence and that area.
Day 9 Rome Sunday June 1 2008
Im writing this particular diary entry a week later (yes got behind in some of my diary entries but still my head is overflowing with impressions of Rome. It was also the city I took the most photographs of, think the count for the day was around 197! (actually paris just beat rome now).
It was a full day of sightseeing today and we were up early to make it into the city to meet up with our city guide Walter (who was originally from holland, thus Mark and he conversed in dutch of course).
After a morning tour including a bit of walking with Walter, some of us took the optional excursion to the Catacombs, which were awesome ... totally reminded me of what it must be like to be in a real dungeons and dragons game like i used to play when i was growing up. I couldnt imagine those early christians digging just by oil lamp light so far underground and such an extensive network of graves.
We also visited St Pauls Outside the wall, which was mostly rebuilt after a fire in the 19th century, and until the enlargement of St Peters was one of the biggest basilicas around.
Back into the main centre of the city and we had some free time, and we were lucky to be in st peters square when the Pope popped his head out of a window to give a blessing. Got a photo of that but my self portrait with Pope in the background is mostly my head, so you will just have to believe me that he was behind up in the window!
After hooking up with the rest of the group who had free time we then did the coloseum which was every bit as impressive as Id imagined.
In the evening we went to Castel Gandolfo which is where the pope has his summer residence (also classed as part of the Vatican city, thus a separate country) so I have a photo of me standing with one foot in either country :)
We then went onto Castel Romani in the alban hills to a local tavern and had a traditional meal there and were entertained by opera singing musicians. I bought a CD, call me a sucker.
Anyway, the pics will tell more about Rome (what pics ... they are coming ... eventually)
It was a full day of sightseeing today and we were up early to make it into the city to meet up with our city guide Walter (who was originally from holland, thus Mark and he conversed in dutch of course).
After a morning tour including a bit of walking with Walter, some of us took the optional excursion to the Catacombs, which were awesome ... totally reminded me of what it must be like to be in a real dungeons and dragons game like i used to play when i was growing up. I couldnt imagine those early christians digging just by oil lamp light so far underground and such an extensive network of graves.
We also visited St Pauls Outside the wall, which was mostly rebuilt after a fire in the 19th century, and until the enlargement of St Peters was one of the biggest basilicas around.
Back into the main centre of the city and we had some free time, and we were lucky to be in st peters square when the Pope popped his head out of a window to give a blessing. Got a photo of that but my self portrait with Pope in the background is mostly my head, so you will just have to believe me that he was behind up in the window!
After hooking up with the rest of the group who had free time we then did the coloseum which was every bit as impressive as Id imagined.
In the evening we went to Castel Gandolfo which is where the pope has his summer residence (also classed as part of the Vatican city, thus a separate country) so I have a photo of me standing with one foot in either country :)
We then went onto Castel Romani in the alban hills to a local tavern and had a traditional meal there and were entertained by opera singing musicians. I bought a CD, call me a sucker.
Anyway, the pics will tell more about Rome (what pics ... they are coming ... eventually)
Day 8 Venice to Rome Saturday May 31 2008
Another early wake up call and a day travelling through the italian countryside on the coach to reach our next destination of Rome or Roma in italian (one thing I did learn since coming here is all the place names I am familiar with are actually called something else, which is I suppose makes sense, but why not call it the proper name the locals use instead of anglaising it?).
Our hotel seemed to be a fairly nice place located not far out of the city, however I was hit by murphys law again with the hotel wifi being out of order due to them changing internet providers so no chance to post any of the diary entries Ive made (well this led to laziness on my part and not keeping them from this point on!)
Actually since we were at a two day stop I did some of the necessary washing of socks and jocks etc and with my handy dandy travel kit I had a washing line I could hang across the bathroom and drape all the washing on.
This evening Id joined up the optional night tour of Rome and dinner. First impressions of the city are watch out for the scooters! Also despite all the historical buildings and monuments all around it is clear Italians take no pride in their city as rubbish is everywhere and so is graffitti, even more so than Bucharest in Romania!
After a bit of a drive around the city, which was hard to know which way to turn and where to point the camera to take photographs, we hopped off the bus for a quick walking tour with our guide. Straight away I thought I had been pick-pocketed as my mobile phone was missing from my pocket. (more on that later).
The next impression of Rome is just the amount of people and also dodgy street vendors. When we stopped at the Trevi fountain a guy with roses came up to a group of us (Freeman, Alison, Barbara and I and obviously assumed we were two couples and gave each of the ladies a rose. We all knew he would ask for money, but he wouldnt take them back and clearly said the words free free for beautiful ladies. Anyway, as quick as a flash he was onto Freeman and I demanding money for the roses.
When we refused, he then snatched back the roses and continued on hassling couples near the fountain. Rome was also the place I have felt the most uncomfortable and aware of my personal safety and of people coming to close etc.
Having said that, whilst strolling along one of the streets I was looking up at a military helicopter flying particular low when I stood on someone who had stopped in front of me and bent down in order to take a photo of his wife.
From his exclamation it was clear he was an american ... so straight away after a scusi mi (and a sorry) I didnt feel so bad, if you are going to step on someone then I suppose an ignorant american tourist is one of them rather than a local!
We got back on the bus to be driven to where we were having dinner, and thankfully my phone was on the seat where I had been sitting previous to getting off for the walk, slipped out of my pocket in my shorts (usually i have it in my velcro pockets), so crisis over!
Dinner was great at a little restaurant where we had about five courses. For most people this was too much, but the amounts and the timings of the dishes coming out meant I could have kept eating for a few more courses. The only thing lacking was a nice strong coffee after the meal.
Our hotel seemed to be a fairly nice place located not far out of the city, however I was hit by murphys law again with the hotel wifi being out of order due to them changing internet providers so no chance to post any of the diary entries Ive made (well this led to laziness on my part and not keeping them from this point on!)
Actually since we were at a two day stop I did some of the necessary washing of socks and jocks etc and with my handy dandy travel kit I had a washing line I could hang across the bathroom and drape all the washing on.
This evening Id joined up the optional night tour of Rome and dinner. First impressions of the city are watch out for the scooters! Also despite all the historical buildings and monuments all around it is clear Italians take no pride in their city as rubbish is everywhere and so is graffitti, even more so than Bucharest in Romania!
After a bit of a drive around the city, which was hard to know which way to turn and where to point the camera to take photographs, we hopped off the bus for a quick walking tour with our guide. Straight away I thought I had been pick-pocketed as my mobile phone was missing from my pocket. (more on that later).
The next impression of Rome is just the amount of people and also dodgy street vendors. When we stopped at the Trevi fountain a guy with roses came up to a group of us (Freeman, Alison, Barbara and I and obviously assumed we were two couples and gave each of the ladies a rose. We all knew he would ask for money, but he wouldnt take them back and clearly said the words free free for beautiful ladies. Anyway, as quick as a flash he was onto Freeman and I demanding money for the roses.
When we refused, he then snatched back the roses and continued on hassling couples near the fountain. Rome was also the place I have felt the most uncomfortable and aware of my personal safety and of people coming to close etc.
Having said that, whilst strolling along one of the streets I was looking up at a military helicopter flying particular low when I stood on someone who had stopped in front of me and bent down in order to take a photo of his wife.
From his exclamation it was clear he was an american ... so straight away after a scusi mi (and a sorry) I didnt feel so bad, if you are going to step on someone then I suppose an ignorant american tourist is one of them rather than a local!
We got back on the bus to be driven to where we were having dinner, and thankfully my phone was on the seat where I had been sitting previous to getting off for the walk, slipped out of my pocket in my shorts (usually i have it in my velcro pockets), so crisis over!
Dinner was great at a little restaurant where we had about five courses. For most people this was too much, but the amounts and the timings of the dishes coming out meant I could have kept eating for a few more courses. The only thing lacking was a nice strong coffee after the meal.
Day 7 Venice Friday May 30 2008
Another full day today, and it is hard to think of what to write about as my mind is still full of the impressions of the day (I am writing this a day later on the road to Rome, and I need to say one thing that is obvious about Italy is that they dont believe in maintaining their roads much compared to Germany, Austria or even the Czech Republic, typing this blog on a small keyboard and over the bumps and potholes is certainly a challenge).
Venice during the day was HOT and crowded but still fantastic. I am really glad I took the optional extra and went for a gondola ride through the city, it gives you such a different perspective and impression of the city.
We also had a guided tour through the main square and the St Marks basilica although that was incredible to see the glass frescos and interior, really felt like a herded cow with the crush of tourists and apparently this is not even the high season yet!
Afterwards we visited the glass blowing factory which was fairly interesting as one of the master craftsman actually made a beautiful vase in front of our eyes. We then browsed around the showroom and I reckon I found the most expensive piece at about 16,000 euro! A few people bought stuff and I was tempted to buy a couple of beautiful wine glasses but not really into too much fancy stuff so I saved my 150 euro!
Far out these roads are crap!
Anyway, a couple from Melbourne (Damien and Belinda – who is of italian heritage) found a nice pizza restaurant down one of the smaller alleyways of Venice that didnt charge a service fee or cover charge just to sit down and eat and for 30 euro in total had a great feed of three pizzas including a rather unique one chips on top (yes got photos).
The optional excursion for the afternoon was to the fishing island of Burano and we also explored some of lagoon that forms the area around Venice. Saw the house that Cassanova lived in for a while and then we explored the village of Burano.
I think this was my favourite part of the day here in Venice, with uniquely painted houses and just a great atmosphere. We wandered off the main tourist path into some side streets and I got some great photographs.
Also during the boat trip we went past the Arsenal of Venice where in its hey day of the venetian empire they were building one naval boat per day and indeed it is where we actually get the word arsenal from.
After a full day it was back to the hotel and a buffet dinner there before I called it an early night and hit the sack around 9.30pm as I knew tomorrow we had a big day of driving (on crap roads!)
Venice during the day was HOT and crowded but still fantastic. I am really glad I took the optional extra and went for a gondola ride through the city, it gives you such a different perspective and impression of the city.
We also had a guided tour through the main square and the St Marks basilica although that was incredible to see the glass frescos and interior, really felt like a herded cow with the crush of tourists and apparently this is not even the high season yet!
Afterwards we visited the glass blowing factory which was fairly interesting as one of the master craftsman actually made a beautiful vase in front of our eyes. We then browsed around the showroom and I reckon I found the most expensive piece at about 16,000 euro! A few people bought stuff and I was tempted to buy a couple of beautiful wine glasses but not really into too much fancy stuff so I saved my 150 euro!
Far out these roads are crap!
Anyway, a couple from Melbourne (Damien and Belinda – who is of italian heritage) found a nice pizza restaurant down one of the smaller alleyways of Venice that didnt charge a service fee or cover charge just to sit down and eat and for 30 euro in total had a great feed of three pizzas including a rather unique one chips on top (yes got photos).
The optional excursion for the afternoon was to the fishing island of Burano and we also explored some of lagoon that forms the area around Venice. Saw the house that Cassanova lived in for a while and then we explored the village of Burano.
I think this was my favourite part of the day here in Venice, with uniquely painted houses and just a great atmosphere. We wandered off the main tourist path into some side streets and I got some great photographs.
Also during the boat trip we went past the Arsenal of Venice where in its hey day of the venetian empire they were building one naval boat per day and indeed it is where we actually get the word arsenal from.
After a full day it was back to the hotel and a buffet dinner there before I called it an early night and hit the sack around 9.30pm as I knew tomorrow we had a big day of driving (on crap roads!)
Day 6 Vienna to Venice Thursday May 29 2008
As Im writing this a few days later the pain of waking up at 6am to a massive throbbing headache and dry throat has faded enough that I can contemplate another night on the juice sometime soon. Thankfully the Panadol I packed took effect fairly rapidly and for breakfast we were lucky enough that at this hotel we had cooked breakfast so I was able to stuff myself with scrambled egg, sausages and bacon as well as the usual cold cuts, cheese and bread rolls and strong coffee.
Another day on the road today, as we left Vienna behind and travelled to Venice. Enough time for a lunchtime stop in a beautiful lakeside resort town called Lake Worth, and by that stage my hangover had receded enough so I was feeling a bit more human.
So apart from taking a few photographs of the mountains, forest and sleeping there is not much to tell.
After we arrived in the Venice area and our hotel, I discovered my european power plug adaptor didnt handle certain italian power points (three vertical points) however I was lucky enough that there was a more european standard one outside my room, hence my solution of plugging into that one and running my power board underneath my door.
Ive become the unofficial backup for those needing their phones or cameras charged up and thus have thought about making everyone pay just like we have to pay to use public toilets here (usually 50 euro cents – although on occasion have had to pay one euro to use them).
Id signed up for the optional night tour of Venice and dinner and I can say I am really glad I did it, after seeing Venice at both night and day time it is a different city. This evening we travelled by private motorboat in the early evening whilst it was still light.
I cannot really say what my preconceptions of Venice were, however it was certainly a sad city in some respects, a shadow of its former glories when the Venetian empire had a huge naval fleet and ruled much of the Mediterranean area.
Still it was a great evening soaking up the atmosphere and walking though the alleyways with the canals and bridges before experiencing the grandeur of St Marks square where the cafe that Ernest Hemmingway hung out in and Napoleon had his palace.
As we left Venice for the evening to return to the hotel it started to rain, so that was rather well timed. Back at the hotel I sat outside with Nick and Hillary, two of the kiwi contingent and we walked a fantastic thunder and lightning storm before heading off to bed.
Another day on the road today, as we left Vienna behind and travelled to Venice. Enough time for a lunchtime stop in a beautiful lakeside resort town called Lake Worth, and by that stage my hangover had receded enough so I was feeling a bit more human.
So apart from taking a few photographs of the mountains, forest and sleeping there is not much to tell.
After we arrived in the Venice area and our hotel, I discovered my european power plug adaptor didnt handle certain italian power points (three vertical points) however I was lucky enough that there was a more european standard one outside my room, hence my solution of plugging into that one and running my power board underneath my door.
Ive become the unofficial backup for those needing their phones or cameras charged up and thus have thought about making everyone pay just like we have to pay to use public toilets here (usually 50 euro cents – although on occasion have had to pay one euro to use them).
Id signed up for the optional night tour of Venice and dinner and I can say I am really glad I did it, after seeing Venice at both night and day time it is a different city. This evening we travelled by private motorboat in the early evening whilst it was still light.
I cannot really say what my preconceptions of Venice were, however it was certainly a sad city in some respects, a shadow of its former glories when the Venetian empire had a huge naval fleet and ruled much of the Mediterranean area.
Still it was a great evening soaking up the atmosphere and walking though the alleyways with the canals and bridges before experiencing the grandeur of St Marks square where the cafe that Ernest Hemmingway hung out in and Napoleon had his palace.
As we left Venice for the evening to return to the hotel it started to rain, so that was rather well timed. Back at the hotel I sat outside with Nick and Hillary, two of the kiwi contingent and we walked a fantastic thunder and lightning storm before heading off to bed.
Day 5 Supplemental – Evening in the Viennese Woods
Ok, so I have mostly been keeping my travel diary up to date offline (well a few days to catch up) but finding internet has not been as simple or easy as I thought it would have been. So tonight now I have some time up my sleeve here in Scotland and a reliable internet connection (probably the only one I will find this week) i will post all my europe trip. As I write this small introduction I know Im in Edinburgh, Scotland as my room has a view of the castle and the whole vista of the old town and I can hear bagpipes down below in one of the parks - it doesn´t get much more Scottish than that!
Here is the night of day 5 in vienna:
This was an optional dinner that most of the tour took up to go out into the countryside around Vienna to taste some Heurigen (new wine) and chow down on some traditional type austrian fare (sauerkraut, roast pork, chicken, sausages) in an open air type restaurant.
Mark our tour director kept reiterating to eat first and then have the wine as apparently it is very strong stuff. Given that most of us were of aussie or kiwi extraction, that was tantamount to issuing a drinking challenge and hence things got out of hand especially as we had musical accompaniment for the evening of a violin and piano accordion.
So the restaurant soon came alive to singing and dancing of our tour group as we polished off karaffs of wine like it was lolly water. I definitely fired up when they started playing Waltzing Matilda although the kiwis sang along as well.
We also had a woman coming around and taking photographs of us individually and then making these into keyrings with the name of the restaurant attached. Yes I bought mine for 9 euro ... bit of a scam really but hey I have something to remember the place by I guess.
Our dinner was supposed to finish up around 9.30pm however given how much we were enjoying ourselves our tour director gave us the wrap up call around 8.30pm, I think we had him fairly worried. And it was the elder members of the tour who really went the wildest! There was a table of elderly germans next to us and they were also joining in the fun and thought it was great.
The bus ride back to hotel was fun as we played abba, and other 70s songs and all sang along and after a few requests I did my Vasilov (tour guide from Prague) impression which had everyone laughing but at the same time a little freaked out at how good my impression was!
Once back at the hotel, we found the bar was closed already. Much disappointment, however the previous night I had been for a walk up and down the street near the hotel with Freeman and we had discovered some pubs and bars and another slightly dodgier place (more on that later).
Hence we led a contingent to continue drinking. The first place was empty and about to shut but in my rudimentary german I order a few beers (gross meaning LARGE) and we kicked back there for a bit before I figured I should move us on.
A bit further down the street was the dodgy bar, what we thought was a topless bar. We had two girls with us but they were adventurous enough to want to come along still. So Dave and I led the way into this place. In my drunken state I did think it was slightly strange there was nobody on the door but we had to be buzzed through a metal gate and then down some dungeon stairs.
When an older woman came up to meet us and said to us No girls no girls, dave and I realised that this place was a bit more than a topless bar. So I went back out and told the others not to come any further and we retreated rather rapidly!
Options were running out so we headed back the other way past the hotel again and ran into Mark our tour director who told us everything nearby was shut. I wasnt convinced and was sure I could smell beer still being poured and led the way to a small bar where I asked in halting german whether they were still open and could I have a beer please.
The two people in the bar replied in perfect english so we were set and spent the rest of the evening there. Towards the end of the night they were serving us some god awful shots of some liquor that reminded me of what Pall used to serve us at the Corio Hotel (some of you who have experienced that will relate!
Anyway, I think I acquitted myself fairly well this night, although once again I forgot the required water before bed so, obviously it is no surprise what hit me the next morning.
Here is the night of day 5 in vienna:
This was an optional dinner that most of the tour took up to go out into the countryside around Vienna to taste some Heurigen (new wine) and chow down on some traditional type austrian fare (sauerkraut, roast pork, chicken, sausages) in an open air type restaurant.
Mark our tour director kept reiterating to eat first and then have the wine as apparently it is very strong stuff. Given that most of us were of aussie or kiwi extraction, that was tantamount to issuing a drinking challenge and hence things got out of hand especially as we had musical accompaniment for the evening of a violin and piano accordion.
So the restaurant soon came alive to singing and dancing of our tour group as we polished off karaffs of wine like it was lolly water. I definitely fired up when they started playing Waltzing Matilda although the kiwis sang along as well.
We also had a woman coming around and taking photographs of us individually and then making these into keyrings with the name of the restaurant attached. Yes I bought mine for 9 euro ... bit of a scam really but hey I have something to remember the place by I guess.
Our dinner was supposed to finish up around 9.30pm however given how much we were enjoying ourselves our tour director gave us the wrap up call around 8.30pm, I think we had him fairly worried. And it was the elder members of the tour who really went the wildest! There was a table of elderly germans next to us and they were also joining in the fun and thought it was great.
The bus ride back to hotel was fun as we played abba, and other 70s songs and all sang along and after a few requests I did my Vasilov (tour guide from Prague) impression which had everyone laughing but at the same time a little freaked out at how good my impression was!
Once back at the hotel, we found the bar was closed already. Much disappointment, however the previous night I had been for a walk up and down the street near the hotel with Freeman and we had discovered some pubs and bars and another slightly dodgier place (more on that later).
Hence we led a contingent to continue drinking. The first place was empty and about to shut but in my rudimentary german I order a few beers (gross meaning LARGE) and we kicked back there for a bit before I figured I should move us on.
A bit further down the street was the dodgy bar, what we thought was a topless bar. We had two girls with us but they were adventurous enough to want to come along still. So Dave and I led the way into this place. In my drunken state I did think it was slightly strange there was nobody on the door but we had to be buzzed through a metal gate and then down some dungeon stairs.
When an older woman came up to meet us and said to us No girls no girls, dave and I realised that this place was a bit more than a topless bar. So I went back out and told the others not to come any further and we retreated rather rapidly!
Options were running out so we headed back the other way past the hotel again and ran into Mark our tour director who told us everything nearby was shut. I wasnt convinced and was sure I could smell beer still being poured and led the way to a small bar where I asked in halting german whether they were still open and could I have a beer please.
The two people in the bar replied in perfect english so we were set and spent the rest of the evening there. Towards the end of the night they were serving us some god awful shots of some liquor that reminded me of what Pall used to serve us at the Corio Hotel (some of you who have experienced that will relate!
Anyway, I think I acquitted myself fairly well this night, although once again I forgot the required water before bed so, obviously it is no surprise what hit me the next morning.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Day 5 – Vienna sightseeing. Wednesday 28th May 2008
Bit of a big day today, with sightseeing in the centre of the city, via coach and walking. Poor old Luigi has had some issues with his GPS leading him astray and things did not improve when our tour director nicked off and let the local guide take over who only spoke english and german whilst Luigi speaks italian and very little english. Direction became by pointing.
Did I mention it is hot over here? A few of the older members of our tour certainly are struggling with the pace and heat a bit, our tour guide today was a little too quick I felt and didnt seem to pay attention to the slower member of the group. Again lots of photos and a quick bite to eat as I had another excursion to a palace in the afternoon.
The palace of the schonbrunn was huge – apparently rivalling the Versailles palace (which I will be able to judge next week I guess). I found the rooms pretty stuffy and dark though and definitely over the top decoration! But worth the excursion just to feel the age and history imbued in the place ... like standing in the ballroom where JKF and Kruschev met at one time.
They also definitely need to have TV in those days or more hobbies other than bonking – 15 kids?? good grief!
Back to the hotel this afternoon to chill out and write up this diary entry and then I will go downstairs to the lobby where the only wireless hotspot is in the hotel (most annoyed) and post the past few days up online,
Tonight is an evening the viennese wood at a wine village – basically a huge stuff your face and drink all you an affair. Im sure there will be a few sore heads on the coach tomorrow on the way to Venice. I shall try to pace myself but these kiwis are giving me a hard time about not holding up the aussie reputation! I really am outnumbered!
Did I mention it is hot over here? A few of the older members of our tour certainly are struggling with the pace and heat a bit, our tour guide today was a little too quick I felt and didnt seem to pay attention to the slower member of the group. Again lots of photos and a quick bite to eat as I had another excursion to a palace in the afternoon.
The palace of the schonbrunn was huge – apparently rivalling the Versailles palace (which I will be able to judge next week I guess). I found the rooms pretty stuffy and dark though and definitely over the top decoration! But worth the excursion just to feel the age and history imbued in the place ... like standing in the ballroom where JKF and Kruschev met at one time.
They also definitely need to have TV in those days or more hobbies other than bonking – 15 kids?? good grief!
Back to the hotel this afternoon to chill out and write up this diary entry and then I will go downstairs to the lobby where the only wireless hotspot is in the hotel (most annoyed) and post the past few days up online,
Tonight is an evening the viennese wood at a wine village – basically a huge stuff your face and drink all you an affair. Im sure there will be a few sore heads on the coach tomorrow on the way to Venice. I shall try to pace myself but these kiwis are giving me a hard time about not holding up the aussie reputation! I really am outnumbered!
Day 4 – Prague city hightlights & travel to Vienna. Tuesday 27 May 2008
Up early this morning for a walking tour of the Prague city centre with our same guide as last night whose name eludes me still.
Absolutely amazing (think I will be using that phrase quite a bit in this travel diary) architecture and just a sense of history (there is the second cliché in one sentence!) permeates this city as we walked around the historical centre.
One of the highlights had to be the Charles Bridge which afforded brilliant view of the river and well, just great views. Oh, I am pretty sure I spotted a porn actress and film crew just waiting by the side of the bridge, without meaning to got them in the background of a photograph so you can draw your own conclusions. I presented my hypothesis to most of the tour group who tended to agree and a few of the younger kiwi guys were upset I didnt point out the situation as it was happening!
After the tour we had free time for a while in the main square of Prague, which was great just to stroll around, people watch, snap pictures until we found a nice open bar to sit at and have a quick bite to eat and drink (that turned out quite expensive) before heading back to the meeting point and jumping back on the bus for the drive to Austria.
We didnt seem to take a direct motorway route, but wound our way through the countryside on a smaller road, which took us through some smaller villages and towns in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. Again no border controls as we passed through between Czech and Austria before we arrived later in the evening at Vienna.
Some people went off to a concert, whilst the rest of stayed behind and grabbed a traditional wiener schniztel at the hotel restaurant and went for a wander down the street. The weather has certainly warmed up the past few days.
Absolutely amazing (think I will be using that phrase quite a bit in this travel diary) architecture and just a sense of history (there is the second cliché in one sentence!) permeates this city as we walked around the historical centre.
One of the highlights had to be the Charles Bridge which afforded brilliant view of the river and well, just great views. Oh, I am pretty sure I spotted a porn actress and film crew just waiting by the side of the bridge, without meaning to got them in the background of a photograph so you can draw your own conclusions. I presented my hypothesis to most of the tour group who tended to agree and a few of the younger kiwi guys were upset I didnt point out the situation as it was happening!
After the tour we had free time for a while in the main square of Prague, which was great just to stroll around, people watch, snap pictures until we found a nice open bar to sit at and have a quick bite to eat and drink (that turned out quite expensive) before heading back to the meeting point and jumping back on the bus for the drive to Austria.
We didnt seem to take a direct motorway route, but wound our way through the countryside on a smaller road, which took us through some smaller villages and towns in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. Again no border controls as we passed through between Czech and Austria before we arrived later in the evening at Vienna.
Some people went off to a concert, whilst the rest of stayed behind and grabbed a traditional wiener schniztel at the hotel restaurant and went for a wander down the street. The weather has certainly warmed up the past few days.
Day Three Wurzburg Germany to Prague Czech Rep Monday 26 May 2008
This morning I thought Id be one of the first down for breakfast but alas Im a slow coach but at least there was plenty of food. Ive been adopted as an honorary kiwi for now it seems and Ive noticed I have started to say ay at the end of my sentences!
After breakfast we left Wurzburg and headed for a brief stop at Nuremberg (Nurberg) for an hour or so for a wander around. Most of the city was destroyed in WWII however some of the historical heart either survived or has been partially rebuilt so you can get a sense of the cobblestoned medieval walled city.
Managed to get some interesting photographs, there was a shop called The Australian Gourmet Homemade Icecream shop. Interesting!
We also drove past the building where the Nuremberg trials of the Nazi leaders was held after WWII, however as we were right close to it, the photographs will not be all that good.
After a few hours drive through the bavarian countryside of forest and hills and small villages off into the distance we approached the border with the Czech Rep. This was a new situation of our tour director Mark, as the last time he visited this way, the Schengen treaty had not been in force here.
As it was, there were no border controls or passport checks but we did have to stop to purchase essentially an e-tag for the coach that gets charged as we travel along the motorway.
We stopped just over the border at a McDonalds, not the best choice for eating but the quickest and most reliable as was explained to us. So for the very first time I ate McDonalds overseas (yes have photos), well, pretty much the same except with a big Mac deal here I got a friggin massive 1 litre bottle of coke plus also some mayonaise for the fries (nice).
As we drive though the Czech countryside there are many brilliant yellow fields of canola amongst the green fields and dark green thick forest. This will be the sixth country we have passed through in the past three days, so quickly racking up the score. Still a cloudy day here but at least there is no rain, hopefully the sun will break through later.
Tonight I am going onto an optional tour of Prague with the fountains set to music as highlights. I guess I will write about that later, not sure if I will find internet access to post this on the day though.
Ok ... writing this a few days later as catching up with diary entries, the Hotel Eliza where we stayed in Prague was a delightful little hotel tucked away down a residential street on the hills surrounding the city. Some of our rooms where out the back in little bungalows and there was even a pool which some of the braver kiwis jumped in. I was supposed to uphold the aussie flag but I am much older and wiser these days and merely watched the antics as I supped on a refreshing beer or two.
The city tour in the evening was interesting enough, and our guide (whose name I just cannot remember despite him saying it several times) spoke good english but went to great lengths to pronounce his words a little too precisely which lead to a rather strange accent that apparently I can do a fair impression of. He did have detailed knowledge of the history of the city and of the different types of architecture which whilst I found fairly interesting, I think the majority of the tour struggled to keep their attention levels up.
We visited a monastery, grabbed a beer, took some scenic shots and then headed to the fountains. Forty-five minutes of seeing water shoot up to classical music was perhaps stretching the amazed tourist routine a bit, however did get some interesting pictures and a little video.
Back to the hotel and a few of the younger kiwis were keen to head to a nightclub in the city, however settled (after a bit of convincing) to drinking the cheap and great beer at the hotel bar. Again, one lone aussie against four kiwis and I soon dropped off the pace (and indeed nodded off at the bar at one stage) before I called it a night just after midnight and headed to bed. Some kept going until 3am, and I pity the poor barman who stayed up serving them and then was up at the same time to porter our luggage!
After breakfast we left Wurzburg and headed for a brief stop at Nuremberg (Nurberg) for an hour or so for a wander around. Most of the city was destroyed in WWII however some of the historical heart either survived or has been partially rebuilt so you can get a sense of the cobblestoned medieval walled city.
Managed to get some interesting photographs, there was a shop called The Australian Gourmet Homemade Icecream shop. Interesting!
We also drove past the building where the Nuremberg trials of the Nazi leaders was held after WWII, however as we were right close to it, the photographs will not be all that good.
After a few hours drive through the bavarian countryside of forest and hills and small villages off into the distance we approached the border with the Czech Rep. This was a new situation of our tour director Mark, as the last time he visited this way, the Schengen treaty had not been in force here.
As it was, there were no border controls or passport checks but we did have to stop to purchase essentially an e-tag for the coach that gets charged as we travel along the motorway.
We stopped just over the border at a McDonalds, not the best choice for eating but the quickest and most reliable as was explained to us. So for the very first time I ate McDonalds overseas (yes have photos), well, pretty much the same except with a big Mac deal here I got a friggin massive 1 litre bottle of coke plus also some mayonaise for the fries (nice).
As we drive though the Czech countryside there are many brilliant yellow fields of canola amongst the green fields and dark green thick forest. This will be the sixth country we have passed through in the past three days, so quickly racking up the score. Still a cloudy day here but at least there is no rain, hopefully the sun will break through later.
Tonight I am going onto an optional tour of Prague with the fountains set to music as highlights. I guess I will write about that later, not sure if I will find internet access to post this on the day though.
Ok ... writing this a few days later as catching up with diary entries, the Hotel Eliza where we stayed in Prague was a delightful little hotel tucked away down a residential street on the hills surrounding the city. Some of our rooms where out the back in little bungalows and there was even a pool which some of the braver kiwis jumped in. I was supposed to uphold the aussie flag but I am much older and wiser these days and merely watched the antics as I supped on a refreshing beer or two.
The city tour in the evening was interesting enough, and our guide (whose name I just cannot remember despite him saying it several times) spoke good english but went to great lengths to pronounce his words a little too precisely which lead to a rather strange accent that apparently I can do a fair impression of. He did have detailed knowledge of the history of the city and of the different types of architecture which whilst I found fairly interesting, I think the majority of the tour struggled to keep their attention levels up.
We visited a monastery, grabbed a beer, took some scenic shots and then headed to the fountains. Forty-five minutes of seeing water shoot up to classical music was perhaps stretching the amazed tourist routine a bit, however did get some interesting pictures and a little video.
Back to the hotel and a few of the younger kiwis were keen to head to a nightclub in the city, however settled (after a bit of convincing) to drinking the cheap and great beer at the hotel bar. Again, one lone aussie against four kiwis and I soon dropped off the pace (and indeed nodded off at the bar at one stage) before I called it a night just after midnight and headed to bed. Some kept going until 3am, and I pity the poor barman who stayed up serving them and then was up at the same time to porter our luggage!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Day two – Brussels to Wurzburg Germany Sunday 25 May 2008
Ok, this morning I woke with a slight hangover which was kind of cured by a few panadol tablets and a decent breakfast and coffee. It is still raining today, but apparently will clear up. We drove out of Brussels and through countryside crossing into a narrow bit of the Netherlands before entering Germany. So that makes four countries in just over a day and a bit.
The scenary here is so green, hilly and lots of trees. Contrast to how it is back home at the moment.
Another observation I must make is about the traffic. The whole speed kills thing in australia is a total sham. Here I see cars speeding past but it is safe because the drivers observe a simple rule – they drive with courtesy and attention. You pass someone then you pull into the lane as soon as possible. None of this hanging around in the right lane. If you are driving slower you keep to the inside lane (here it is the right most lane) so the traffic flows really well. anyway, just my little rant.
Fast forward a few hours and that last paragraph seems ironic given that we got stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway for a while due to an accident until Luigi turned off and took us an alternative way to our Rhine river cruise embarkation point - we went via Bonn.
The river cruise was brilliant - managed to nab a great spot at the stern with the same crew who I sat with on the ferry from Dover. We drank a few beers (as is necessary being kiwis and aussie) and watched the amazing scenery go by. I took a few photos .... err more than a few. Weather turned out to be fantastic and sunny and not too hot ... think Im a bit sunburnt though ooops.
After the cruise was more driving on the autobahn, although not all that much speed for us as our coach is limited to 100 km/h or so. Interesting factoid - trucks are not allowed to drive on the roads on Sunday!
Hmm and also had my first experience of paying to get into toilets in europe = complete with turnstiles and 50 euro cent price.
Tonight was dinner in the hotel as a group here in Wurzburg Germany (look on your maps kids) and getting to know a few more on the tour, we have a good mix but I have fallen in with the kiwis and some of the younger ones seemed determined to try and lead me astray given that last night I established my drinking credentials!
Not as nice a hotel but it is functional and clean and good enough for a place to sleep - oh and has wireless internet access so I can post some blog entries.
yes yes still havent done photographs I know .... today when i wake up in about 5 hours, we´ll be off to Prague in Czech Rep.
The scenary here is so green, hilly and lots of trees. Contrast to how it is back home at the moment.
Another observation I must make is about the traffic. The whole speed kills thing in australia is a total sham. Here I see cars speeding past but it is safe because the drivers observe a simple rule – they drive with courtesy and attention. You pass someone then you pull into the lane as soon as possible. None of this hanging around in the right lane. If you are driving slower you keep to the inside lane (here it is the right most lane) so the traffic flows really well. anyway, just my little rant.
Fast forward a few hours and that last paragraph seems ironic given that we got stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway for a while due to an accident until Luigi turned off and took us an alternative way to our Rhine river cruise embarkation point - we went via Bonn.
The river cruise was brilliant - managed to nab a great spot at the stern with the same crew who I sat with on the ferry from Dover. We drank a few beers (as is necessary being kiwis and aussie) and watched the amazing scenery go by. I took a few photos .... err more than a few. Weather turned out to be fantastic and sunny and not too hot ... think Im a bit sunburnt though ooops.
After the cruise was more driving on the autobahn, although not all that much speed for us as our coach is limited to 100 km/h or so. Interesting factoid - trucks are not allowed to drive on the roads on Sunday!
Hmm and also had my first experience of paying to get into toilets in europe = complete with turnstiles and 50 euro cent price.
Tonight was dinner in the hotel as a group here in Wurzburg Germany (look on your maps kids) and getting to know a few more on the tour, we have a good mix but I have fallen in with the kiwis and some of the younger ones seemed determined to try and lead me astray given that last night I established my drinking credentials!
Not as nice a hotel but it is functional and clean and good enough for a place to sleep - oh and has wireless internet access so I can post some blog entries.
yes yes still havent done photographs I know .... today when i wake up in about 5 hours, we´ll be off to Prague in Czech Rep.
day one – london to brussels saturday 24 May 2008
After a hearty breakfast in the morning in London, I joined up with my tour group. Well there were about three tours of us at the hotel, around 120 people at least and we were all loaded up onto coaches and driven off to Dover to catch a ferry to Calais.
Initially I was feeling quite lonely but eventually fell in with a group of kiwis, this tour is full of kiwis, aussies, some canadians, some indians and a few other nationalities but strangely enough no Americans.
The ferry trip was surprisingly quick and not at all choppy. At Calais we were met by our tour director Mark, who is Dutch and speaks around six languages and our coach driver Luigi (yes italian).
From Calais we drove for a few hours through France then into Belgium before finally arriving in brussels. I must admit to not knowing much about Brussels aside from it having the headquarters of the EU so it was great to discover a city with a rich history especially for a country that is only 180 years old or so.
In the evening we explored the centre part of the city, which again was alive with a jazz festival, cafe type culture and outdoor dining. We sampled a beer and then had an hour or so of free time to get something to eat. Freeman (a kiwi) and I fell into together an sampled a few pints of the dark beer (quite strong) before finding a place to eat where they kind of forgot our order which meant we missed the bus back to the hotel.
Still we enjoyed the meal and took the time to grab a huge waffle each (mine was banana coated with lots of rich chocolate) and then soak up some more of the local ambience (as well as the rain at that stage) before I showed off my prowess at hailing a cab and getting us back to the hotel.
Apparently the hotel we stayed in is the best of the tour, mostly because at weekends, the business class hotels offer discounts due to not much demand. So hopefully the rest of the trip will have perhaps not as nice, but decent hotels,
Initially I was feeling quite lonely but eventually fell in with a group of kiwis, this tour is full of kiwis, aussies, some canadians, some indians and a few other nationalities but strangely enough no Americans.
The ferry trip was surprisingly quick and not at all choppy. At Calais we were met by our tour director Mark, who is Dutch and speaks around six languages and our coach driver Luigi (yes italian).
From Calais we drove for a few hours through France then into Belgium before finally arriving in brussels. I must admit to not knowing much about Brussels aside from it having the headquarters of the EU so it was great to discover a city with a rich history especially for a country that is only 180 years old or so.
In the evening we explored the centre part of the city, which again was alive with a jazz festival, cafe type culture and outdoor dining. We sampled a beer and then had an hour or so of free time to get something to eat. Freeman (a kiwi) and I fell into together an sampled a few pints of the dark beer (quite strong) before finding a place to eat where they kind of forgot our order which meant we missed the bus back to the hotel.
Still we enjoyed the meal and took the time to grab a huge waffle each (mine was banana coated with lots of rich chocolate) and then soak up some more of the local ambience (as well as the rain at that stage) before I showed off my prowess at hailing a cab and getting us back to the hotel.
Apparently the hotel we stayed in is the best of the tour, mostly because at weekends, the business class hotels offer discounts due to not much demand. So hopefully the rest of the trip will have perhaps not as nice, but decent hotels,
Friday, May 23, 2008
London Sightseeing
Arrived back in London yesterday afternoon and made it to my hotel where I´m starting off my tour, will have two nights here and then head off Saturday morning. I had intended to take a wander around yesterday evening but I was so tired from my last night in Bucharest (not as exciting as that might sound) that I zonked out asleep around 7pm and woke up around 4am this morning.
I already booked myself in for two half day tours today - one around the city and St Paul´s Cathederal and this afternoon (in around twenty minutes so this will be a quick blog) heading to the Tower of London and to see the Crown Jewels.
Managed to see the guards all parading and practising for the Queen´s Birthday Parade, so heaps of photos of several hundred soldiers all resplendant in red uniforms and bear-hats.
Have just woofed down some lunch, helps not to convert the price into aussie dollars as it is quite expensive just for a chicken wrap with salad plus water & a coffee. First time Ive had potato chips served with a meal on a plate (or crisps as they call them here).
Oh yes, had an intersting flight from bucharest to London yesterday afternoon as I was sitting next to an old american guy named Terry from Seattle who had been to Romania with his wife doing some charity work. Served as a reminder to me not to stereotype americans like I sometimes do, this guy was one of the most interesting and intelligent individuals I have met in a long time.
ooops, better go catch my coach....
I already booked myself in for two half day tours today - one around the city and St Paul´s Cathederal and this afternoon (in around twenty minutes so this will be a quick blog) heading to the Tower of London and to see the Crown Jewels.
Managed to see the guards all parading and practising for the Queen´s Birthday Parade, so heaps of photos of several hundred soldiers all resplendant in red uniforms and bear-hats.
Have just woofed down some lunch, helps not to convert the price into aussie dollars as it is quite expensive just for a chicken wrap with salad plus water & a coffee. First time Ive had potato chips served with a meal on a plate (or crisps as they call them here).
Oh yes, had an intersting flight from bucharest to London yesterday afternoon as I was sitting next to an old american guy named Terry from Seattle who had been to Romania with his wife doing some charity work. Served as a reminder to me not to stereotype americans like I sometimes do, this guy was one of the most interesting and intelligent individuals I have met in a long time.
ooops, better go catch my coach....
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
You know you are a local when ...
My last full day in Bucharest, still brilliant weather, although there is supposedly a change coming tonight - just in time for my departure tomorrow morning.
I was up early to meet with another friend - who has just come back from a short trip to Australia ironically enough. We spent a pleasant morning and lunchtime chatting and walking around.
You know you are a local when two american tourists stop you and ask if you speak english & then ask you directions (which you can answer correctly).
You also know you are a local when you remark to your friend ¨what is it with all these tourists around!¨ and you ask for the bill at a restaurant in romanian and say thank you in romanian :)
tonight a couple more catch-ups with friends, and then off to the airport in the morning with plenty of time to spare due to the unpredictable and chaotic morning Bucharest traffic.
Once I arrive in London tomorrow, I have a full day on Friday to explore before the 15 day European adventure starts on Saturday.
I was up early to meet with another friend - who has just come back from a short trip to Australia ironically enough. We spent a pleasant morning and lunchtime chatting and walking around.
You know you are a local when two american tourists stop you and ask if you speak english & then ask you directions (which you can answer correctly).
You also know you are a local when you remark to your friend ¨what is it with all these tourists around!¨ and you ask for the bill at a restaurant in romanian and say thank you in romanian :)
tonight a couple more catch-ups with friends, and then off to the airport in the morning with plenty of time to spare due to the unpredictable and chaotic morning Bucharest traffic.
Once I arrive in London tomorrow, I have a full day on Friday to explore before the 15 day European adventure starts on Saturday.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Meetings in Romania
I have been here in Bucharest Romania for a few days now and I must say they have really turned the weather on for me here. The locals are even saying how warm it is suddenly compared to the previous week.
Conversely friends back home tell me it is rather cold and raining back in Australia. hmm maybe the sun really does shine from my ... anyway!
It has been great to meet old friends and new friends here, although I have come at a busy time of year for friends here (most are students) so have not spent as much time with people as I´d have liked. Still it has been good to translate friendships from the ´virtual´ to the ´actual´ world and find that your impressions were correct.
Overall, Bucharest has come along since the last time i was here almost 4 years ago and i think within the next 5 years will really bloom. I just hope that some of the amazing historical buildings I´ve found outside my back door (literally) are not bulldozed in the rush for modernisation.
i have another three days here before flying back to London on Thursday afternoon.
photos? i working on uploading them & will try and link them soon.
Conversely friends back home tell me it is rather cold and raining back in Australia. hmm maybe the sun really does shine from my ... anyway!
It has been great to meet old friends and new friends here, although I have come at a busy time of year for friends here (most are students) so have not spent as much time with people as I´d have liked. Still it has been good to translate friendships from the ´virtual´ to the ´actual´ world and find that your impressions were correct.
Overall, Bucharest has come along since the last time i was here almost 4 years ago and i think within the next 5 years will really bloom. I just hope that some of the amazing historical buildings I´ve found outside my back door (literally) are not bulldozed in the rush for modernisation.
i have another three days here before flying back to London on Thursday afternoon.
photos? i working on uploading them & will try and link them soon.
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Queen didn´t wave!
Currently sitting in Terminal 5 here at heathrow waiting for my gate details for Bucharest to come up, estimating that will happen in around an hour or so with another hour after that before departure. My journey is almost complete - to my first destination at least!
Feeling reasonably chipper, despite the over a day travelling time thus far and barely any sleep the night before I left. May need another coffee shortly. For both the Singapore leg and the London leg I had a spare seat next to me, so a bit of extra sprawl room was very welcome.
Amazingly I did sleep quite well, but being seated next to one of the galleys was not so great as it meant i was subjected to the wafts of lovely food smells but one of the last to be served! As usual I inhaled the food, and the portions just serve to whett the appetite!
I meant to blog at Singapore but by the time I´d tried to get me ´free´ internet access, it was a bit late.... nothing much to report at that end, except all the officials are so stern and brook no nonsense from dilly-dallying aussies who try to crack a joke!
Its apparently summer here but someone forgot to tell the weather!
I was glad to have a window seat as saw the most amazing view as we flew over northen afghanistan and those central russian republics. Bright moon and stars in the sky and down below lights arranged like the decorations on peopleś houses at Christmas. At one stage it looked like stars below and above. Of course I forgot to take a pic!
We flew over Windsor castle before we landed here in London, but I didnt see the Queen waving at me ... so disappointed!
Anyway, the next blog will most likely be from my luxury apartment in Bucharest Romania ... hopefully I will not have forgotten to feed the fishes and i will have definitely not forgotten to pay the rent :)
Feeling reasonably chipper, despite the over a day travelling time thus far and barely any sleep the night before I left. May need another coffee shortly. For both the Singapore leg and the London leg I had a spare seat next to me, so a bit of extra sprawl room was very welcome.
Amazingly I did sleep quite well, but being seated next to one of the galleys was not so great as it meant i was subjected to the wafts of lovely food smells but one of the last to be served! As usual I inhaled the food, and the portions just serve to whett the appetite!
I meant to blog at Singapore but by the time I´d tried to get me ´free´ internet access, it was a bit late.... nothing much to report at that end, except all the officials are so stern and brook no nonsense from dilly-dallying aussies who try to crack a joke!
Its apparently summer here but someone forgot to tell the weather!
I was glad to have a window seat as saw the most amazing view as we flew over northen afghanistan and those central russian republics. Bright moon and stars in the sky and down below lights arranged like the decorations on peopleś houses at Christmas. At one stage it looked like stars below and above. Of course I forgot to take a pic!
We flew over Windsor castle before we landed here in London, but I didnt see the Queen waving at me ... so disappointed!
Anyway, the next blog will most likely be from my luxury apartment in Bucharest Romania ... hopefully I will not have forgotten to feed the fishes and i will have definitely not forgotten to pay the rent :)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
On my way ...
may 15.
1.30pm and i have around an hour before boarding my flight. Tucking into some hokkien noodles and trying to get my fat fingers accustomed to the small keys on this micro laptop. typing speed will be a problem. Also found the quote and apostrophe key is not working hmm strange, so forgive my poor grammar and punctuation!
The day started with only two hours sleep from the night before. Obviously a bit wound up and excited over the trip.
alison my sister came over and got my place ship shape as it was a disaster zone. Thank goodness she did, nothing worse than coming home to a messy place just as I left it. Think i´ve packed everything I need plus a bit I dont, check in luggage weighed 16kg.
Around 11 am Ken the limo driver arrived in a beautiful tan mercedes, classic motor. Forgot to take pics! He is quite a character! Told me not to worry about paying until I come back!
ok first casualty of the journey: white shirt now has two sauce spots on it courtesy of over enthusiastic noodle eating, ah well, changing shirt at London.
One hour to kill before boarding, time for some aimlessly wandering after posting this blog.
1.30pm and i have around an hour before boarding my flight. Tucking into some hokkien noodles and trying to get my fat fingers accustomed to the small keys on this micro laptop. typing speed will be a problem. Also found the quote and apostrophe key is not working hmm strange, so forgive my poor grammar and punctuation!
The day started with only two hours sleep from the night before. Obviously a bit wound up and excited over the trip.
alison my sister came over and got my place ship shape as it was a disaster zone. Thank goodness she did, nothing worse than coming home to a messy place just as I left it. Think i´ve packed everything I need plus a bit I dont, check in luggage weighed 16kg.
Around 11 am Ken the limo driver arrived in a beautiful tan mercedes, classic motor. Forgot to take pics! He is quite a character! Told me not to worry about paying until I come back!
ok first casualty of the journey: white shirt now has two sauce spots on it courtesy of over enthusiastic noodle eating, ah well, changing shirt at London.
One hour to kill before boarding, time for some aimlessly wandering after posting this blog.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
The Virtual Couch on Tour in Europe!
Welcome to my blog.
Fairly soon I will be off to Europe for a six week holiday, so I thought rather than the numerous emails to various people, I decided to attempt to keep a regular online travel blog so friends, family and complete strangers can keep up with my adventures.
To aid in this endeavour I bought myself a rather cool little laptop which is very nifty. I love useful gadgets!
Apologies in advance to those of you expecting postcards, but we really should abolish that practice of sending postcards to friends and family. They usually only arrive after you've come back, so what is the point!
Now I better get back to my checklist, I fly out on May 15th.
Fairly soon I will be off to Europe for a six week holiday, so I thought rather than the numerous emails to various people, I decided to attempt to keep a regular online travel blog so friends, family and complete strangers can keep up with my adventures.
To aid in this endeavour I bought myself a rather cool little laptop which is very nifty. I love useful gadgets!
Apologies in advance to those of you expecting postcards, but we really should abolish that practice of sending postcards to friends and family. They usually only arrive after you've come back, so what is the point!
Now I better get back to my checklist, I fly out on May 15th.
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