Well, we are off on another adventure, this time around New Zealand. We are heading over for my Dad's birthday but are using that as an excuse to go on a long driving holiday all the way down the country.
Unfortunately I injured my butt playing cricket and it is insanely difficult to sit down for long periods of time, which should make the trip... interesting! Plus, I have been told that a bout of backyard cricket has been organised, so I'll have to practice my "stand and deliver" batting style.
I have some last minute physio and massage booked in, so hopefully all is well by this Saturday... fingers crossed!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
Back Home
We've been back for almost a week now and I basically zombied through the first week back at work. We are just moving into a new project so luckily I haven't missed too much. This weekend we managed to catch up on some sleep and start working through our photos. So far we've only managed to back them up (6 DVDs!) and start the organising, although I did manage to whip this up...
We were in Pompeii, and I had taken the obligatory two photos and was deciding which one to keep when I thought it would be cool to get Michelle into a bunch of positions and merge it all later. My initial attempts to get Michelle enthused failed miserably, but after I persuaded her to do a few poses she suddenly was really into it. In her own words, "I thought it was a stupid idea, but then I realised it was the best idea ever".
We were in Pompeii, and I had taken the obligatory two photos and was deciding which one to keep when I thought it would be cool to get Michelle into a bunch of positions and merge it all later. My initial attempts to get Michelle enthused failed miserably, but after I persuaded her to do a few poses she suddenly was really into it. In her own words, "I thought it was a stupid idea, but then I realised it was the best idea ever".
Monday, May 26, 2008
Home at last
After a couple of long haul flights and some lengthy delays, we are safely back home here in Adelaide.... I didn't get any sleep on the flight from Hong Kong to Sydney so I'm feeling a little jaded! I want to get back into Adelaide time so I'm going to zombie through the rest of the day.
Next task, sorting through 9+ weeks worth of photos.... maybe after a little nap!
Next task, sorting through 9+ weeks worth of photos.... maybe after a little nap!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Adios Europe
This is our last night in Europe. It seems sad to say that, but sometimes you need to admit when you've had enough, and for us I think we passed that mark about 3 weeks ago! Nevertheless, we have had an awesome time here in Berlin. We caught up with Tim Hinchliff and his wife (although their son was in day care!) and that was really cool. It was nice to end the holiday similar to how we began, with some old friends and relaxing over food and drinks.
Berlin has been pretty awesome. The amount of histroy that is crammed into this (relatively) little area is quite overwhelming. We went on an excellent guided walking tour on our first morning and it really helped us orient ourselves with both the geography and history of the city. Almost nothing remains from the era of the Third Reich aprat from the odd building here and there. There are numerous museums and memorials devoted to particular aspects of the wars and their causes, as well as monuments to all the victims.
Unfortunately we saved our tiniest, noisiest, smelliest hostel for our last stop. I would struggle to recommend it to anyone, and after talking to Tim it sounds like there are plenty of better choices for less money. Coming from the excellent accomodation we had in Prague it was quite a downer. Oh well, only a few more nights and we'll be back in our own bed! It will be nice to be back home and to cook a meal for ourselves. We realised the other night that we have eaten out for over 50 nights in a row! We have seldom had cooking facilities so we've been grabbing fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and touristy local fare for lunch and dinner. It may sound like a dream to some (no dishes!) but after a while you start to wonder what they are putting in the food and how good (or bad) for you it really is.
We have a long flight ahead of us tomorrow, and then a couple of days in Hong Kong to get back on to semi-Adelaide time... and to get in some last minute shopping! Our flight gets in early inthe morning and I think Michelle is already planning how to sleep on the plane so she can head straight to the markets! It will be the final stretching of the wallet before we get home and start saving for the next big thing.
Will probably update from HK. Until then.... adios! Au revoir! Auf wiedersehen!
Berlin has been pretty awesome. The amount of histroy that is crammed into this (relatively) little area is quite overwhelming. We went on an excellent guided walking tour on our first morning and it really helped us orient ourselves with both the geography and history of the city. Almost nothing remains from the era of the Third Reich aprat from the odd building here and there. There are numerous museums and memorials devoted to particular aspects of the wars and their causes, as well as monuments to all the victims.
Unfortunately we saved our tiniest, noisiest, smelliest hostel for our last stop. I would struggle to recommend it to anyone, and after talking to Tim it sounds like there are plenty of better choices for less money. Coming from the excellent accomodation we had in Prague it was quite a downer. Oh well, only a few more nights and we'll be back in our own bed! It will be nice to be back home and to cook a meal for ourselves. We realised the other night that we have eaten out for over 50 nights in a row! We have seldom had cooking facilities so we've been grabbing fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and touristy local fare for lunch and dinner. It may sound like a dream to some (no dishes!) but after a while you start to wonder what they are putting in the food and how good (or bad) for you it really is.
We have a long flight ahead of us tomorrow, and then a couple of days in Hong Kong to get back on to semi-Adelaide time... and to get in some last minute shopping! Our flight gets in early inthe morning and I think Michelle is already planning how to sleep on the plane so she can head straight to the markets! It will be the final stretching of the wallet before we get home and start saving for the next big thing.
Will probably update from HK. Until then.... adios! Au revoir! Auf wiedersehen!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Last days in paradise
Tomorrow we are jumping on a train and heading for Berlin, the last stop of our European odyssey. It's weird to think that in just over a week I'll be back at my desk at work... I just hope no one has stolen my window seat! Since our last update we have visitied Venice, Munich, Vienna and Prague... all very different and very unique cities.
Venice was a blast and a crazy place to stay. Our guidebook recommended getting lost in Venice, and it is very easy to do. Our hotelier was suprised we found the hotel so easily, and that was probably the last time we did! Each night (admittedly after a few wines) we would stumble around in the dark, trying to make sense of the random street signs and nonsensical numbering. We always made it back somehow, and our room was right on a canal, giving us a fantastic view of Venetian life, as taxi drivers parked their boats after a long days work and gondoliers slowly drifted past.
One aspect of Venice that Michelle particularly enjoyed was the never-ending tolling of the church bells. It would start at around 8am each morning and they would ring at random intervals throughout the day until about 9pm at night. Michelle was convinced we were staying next to a bell-ringing school, but I just think that all the different churches were just vying for a slice of the hourly pie.
After Venice had eaten our wallets we popped into Munich for a tour of mad King Ludwig's castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. Our tour guide was not a big fan of the mad king, so we got a rather unique view of his reign and his 'achievements'. Nevertheless, the castles were impressive, if not a little staged, as they were turned into museums only 6 days after his death!
Several litres of beer later we were on our way to Vienna, which truly felt like the (former) culture capital of Europe. We saw so many fantastic masterpieces by Klimt, Schiele and other artists it was quite overwhelming. Vienna was also occupied after World War II and was only allowed independence after agreeing to be neutral. Before they left, however, the occupying forces made the locals erect a few monuments to celebrate their liberation. It is weird to see a soviet memorial in the middle of a Viennese park! They also started World War I, which was the end of the Hapsburg rule, and of monarchies all over Europe. The end of that war also saw the death of Klimt, Schiele, Wagner and many more major artists of the time to influenza. Its amazing how suddenly Vienna fell after thriving for so long.
From Vienna we have travelled to a former part of the Hapsburg Empire, Prague. The Hapsburgs used to rule from here when Vienna was being attacked, and it was only after WWI that the Czechs and Slovaks gained independence. Their history is littered with foreigners ruling over them, included communist Russia after WWII. There are still many communist era sights around, and we even visited a Museum of Communism which sought to recreate life under communist rule. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty! It made us both appreciate our own freedoms much more and understand why the Czech people fought so hard for theirs (and against such huge odds). By the way, the museum is located above a McDonalds and next door to a casino...
Michelle particularly enjoyed the Mucha Museum, deicated to Alfons Mucha, who is considered the father of Art Nouveau. He pioneered many of the poster and print techniques that would become all the rage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a great painter, and worked on a truly grandiose Slavic Epic, which he donated to the slavic people to inspire them. Sadly, he died after being interrogated by the Nazis at the beginning of WWII.
Another sad sight we saw today was a collection of paintings made by jewish children that had been sent to the Tyrin concentration camp. Almost none of the children survived, but whilst in the camp, which was a stopover on the way to the extermination camps, the adults tried to create as normal a life for the children as they could. This included schooling and exercise, and painting in particular, which would allow them to express their fears and hopes. It was a sobering sight and is housed in a synagogue which is decorated with the hand-written names of 80,000 slavic jews that were murdered during the war (the soviets white-washed over the names, but they have since been restored). Another nearby synagogue has a collection of jewish artifacts that the nazis had collected to display in a Museum of the Exterminated Jewish People.
After that we went and visited a museum to the greatest czech inventor that never lived and scooted up and down an imitation Eiffel Tower (strangely not our first).
And so we now only have Berlin ahead of us before we fly back to Hong Kong for a brief shopping explosion before heading home. It will be sad to end our holiday, but good to get back into a routine... and start earning some money again!
Venice was a blast and a crazy place to stay. Our guidebook recommended getting lost in Venice, and it is very easy to do. Our hotelier was suprised we found the hotel so easily, and that was probably the last time we did! Each night (admittedly after a few wines) we would stumble around in the dark, trying to make sense of the random street signs and nonsensical numbering. We always made it back somehow, and our room was right on a canal, giving us a fantastic view of Venetian life, as taxi drivers parked their boats after a long days work and gondoliers slowly drifted past.
One aspect of Venice that Michelle particularly enjoyed was the never-ending tolling of the church bells. It would start at around 8am each morning and they would ring at random intervals throughout the day until about 9pm at night. Michelle was convinced we were staying next to a bell-ringing school, but I just think that all the different churches were just vying for a slice of the hourly pie.
After Venice had eaten our wallets we popped into Munich for a tour of mad King Ludwig's castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. Our tour guide was not a big fan of the mad king, so we got a rather unique view of his reign and his 'achievements'. Nevertheless, the castles were impressive, if not a little staged, as they were turned into museums only 6 days after his death!
Several litres of beer later we were on our way to Vienna, which truly felt like the (former) culture capital of Europe. We saw so many fantastic masterpieces by Klimt, Schiele and other artists it was quite overwhelming. Vienna was also occupied after World War II and was only allowed independence after agreeing to be neutral. Before they left, however, the occupying forces made the locals erect a few monuments to celebrate their liberation. It is weird to see a soviet memorial in the middle of a Viennese park! They also started World War I, which was the end of the Hapsburg rule, and of monarchies all over Europe. The end of that war also saw the death of Klimt, Schiele, Wagner and many more major artists of the time to influenza. Its amazing how suddenly Vienna fell after thriving for so long.
From Vienna we have travelled to a former part of the Hapsburg Empire, Prague. The Hapsburgs used to rule from here when Vienna was being attacked, and it was only after WWI that the Czechs and Slovaks gained independence. Their history is littered with foreigners ruling over them, included communist Russia after WWII. There are still many communist era sights around, and we even visited a Museum of Communism which sought to recreate life under communist rule. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty! It made us both appreciate our own freedoms much more and understand why the Czech people fought so hard for theirs (and against such huge odds). By the way, the museum is located above a McDonalds and next door to a casino...
Michelle particularly enjoyed the Mucha Museum, deicated to Alfons Mucha, who is considered the father of Art Nouveau. He pioneered many of the poster and print techniques that would become all the rage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a great painter, and worked on a truly grandiose Slavic Epic, which he donated to the slavic people to inspire them. Sadly, he died after being interrogated by the Nazis at the beginning of WWII.
Another sad sight we saw today was a collection of paintings made by jewish children that had been sent to the Tyrin concentration camp. Almost none of the children survived, but whilst in the camp, which was a stopover on the way to the extermination camps, the adults tried to create as normal a life for the children as they could. This included schooling and exercise, and painting in particular, which would allow them to express their fears and hopes. It was a sobering sight and is housed in a synagogue which is decorated with the hand-written names of 80,000 slavic jews that were murdered during the war (the soviets white-washed over the names, but they have since been restored). Another nearby synagogue has a collection of jewish artifacts that the nazis had collected to display in a Museum of the Exterminated Jewish People.
After that we went and visited a museum to the greatest czech inventor that never lived and scooted up and down an imitation Eiffel Tower (strangely not our first).
And so we now only have Berlin ahead of us before we fly back to Hong Kong for a brief shopping explosion before heading home. It will be sad to end our holiday, but good to get back into a routine... and start earning some money again!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Buses, Boats, Chairlifts and Trains
Yesterday we went on a massive mission around the Amalfi coast to Salerno and then on to Paestum. We had every intention of starting the day early, but after a hearty breakfast (for a change) and a quick email check it was 10am before we got out the door. We walked down to Sorrento and lined up for the Amalfi bus.
The thing about Italy is that no one respects the line, least of all the driver. There were 12 people in front of us when we arrived and about 19 when the bus actually arrived (the bus was so late I counted them several times). The mostly English tourists kept directing people to the back of the queue, but when the driver turned up he promptly parked half way down and opened the doors. Luckily for us, we were half way down the line and so got on the bus relatively quickly after letting a few of the oldies on.
The bus ride around the Amalfi coast is probably one of the best bus rides I have ever experienced. The bus hugs the cliffside as it winds back and forth around the coast between the towns. At some points there is a 150m+ drop on one side and a cliff face on the other, with only one lane and numerous blind corners. The driver would toot his horn on the approach to the tightest hairpins to alert any oncoming drivers. We got a seat on the right hand side and so got the most scenic view. Michelle had the window seat and was our cameraman for the trip. So many times on the trip you are left wide-eyed and mouth agape, it's hard to capture on camera with all the trees and road signs whizzing by. It is something I would recommend easily, despite the 2 hours of hairpin turns!
Yes, that is the view from the bus window! We didn't stay long in Amalfi before heading off to Salerno and then to Paestum. We didn't really realise until afterwards how far we had travelled, but it took us over 3 hours to get there by bus and just over 2 hours to get back by train! Our bus to Salerno broke down on the way, which didn't help either. Once we got to Paestum, though, we quickly forgot all that as we were blown away by the ancient Greek ruins. There are three temples standing in what was originally a Greek town, which was subsequently conquered by Luccians, Romans, Etruscans and anybody else who happened along. They all seem to have respected the previous customs and so what remains are some of the best preserved ruins in Magna Graecia. The museum has some of the only surviving Greek paintings, including the famous diver. For 2500+ year old ruins they were certainly amazing. Italy may not have the best Roman ruins, but they have some of the best Greek ones!
Today we spent time on the island of Capri. It was one very, very expensive day, but it seems there is no such thing as a cheap day on Capri. Our first port of call was the famous Blue Grotto. We saved a bit of cash by taking a bus to the grotto and jumping onto a rowboat at the bottom of the stairs leading to the water. The scene near the entrance was pure madness. Tour boats jostled for position and shouted to the smaller rowboats to come and take their passengers into the grotto. Once you get in a rowboat (and pay the 10€ per person fee) your boatman will grab a chain near the entrance, ask you all to lie very flat and then time the waves before pulling you through the small entrance. Our guy managed to bang the boat on the top of the rock, but we made it in. Once in you get a quick 5 minute paddle (and an 'impromptu' song) around the 60m long, 20m deep grotto before you repeat the procedure and pop out into the real world again. The blue light is quite remarkable, but the rigmarole involved in getting there is the most fun.
Next up we grabbed a chairlift to the top of one of the mountains (I forget the name). The trip takes you over numerous lemon, orange, and kiwifruit orchards before the final steep ascent. Twelve minutes later we were on top of the world looking down on creation. The view from so high up reminded me of being on an aeroplane, with the horizon blurring the sky and sea together.
We decided to hike back down and visit a church perched on the side of the mountian with a supposedly unbeatable view. Our path was blocked, however, by a scaly serpent!
We had seen a snake in Paestum the previous day (complete with girlish screams from both Michelle and myself) but that one seemed to be more scared of us than we were of it. The one on Capri, however, was not going to give up his favourite sunning rock. It was us or the snake, and so we turned around and ran back to Anacapri.
A short bus and ferry ride later we were back in Sorrento and far away from the snake. We grabbed a gelatti and wandered back to our hotel, just in time to sit and watch the sun set from a terrace nearby.
Back in the hotel we bumped into a couple from Victor Harbor while I was backing up some photos and talked for so long that our early night became yet another late one. After another huge meal at Taverna Rosso we are ready to hit the sack and prepare for Venice, the last Italian stop on our journey. I think I'm gonna miss the madness!
The thing about Italy is that no one respects the line, least of all the driver. There were 12 people in front of us when we arrived and about 19 when the bus actually arrived (the bus was so late I counted them several times). The mostly English tourists kept directing people to the back of the queue, but when the driver turned up he promptly parked half way down and opened the doors. Luckily for us, we were half way down the line and so got on the bus relatively quickly after letting a few of the oldies on.
The bus ride around the Amalfi coast is probably one of the best bus rides I have ever experienced. The bus hugs the cliffside as it winds back and forth around the coast between the towns. At some points there is a 150m+ drop on one side and a cliff face on the other, with only one lane and numerous blind corners. The driver would toot his horn on the approach to the tightest hairpins to alert any oncoming drivers. We got a seat on the right hand side and so got the most scenic view. Michelle had the window seat and was our cameraman for the trip. So many times on the trip you are left wide-eyed and mouth agape, it's hard to capture on camera with all the trees and road signs whizzing by. It is something I would recommend easily, despite the 2 hours of hairpin turns!
Yes, that is the view from the bus window! We didn't stay long in Amalfi before heading off to Salerno and then to Paestum. We didn't really realise until afterwards how far we had travelled, but it took us over 3 hours to get there by bus and just over 2 hours to get back by train! Our bus to Salerno broke down on the way, which didn't help either. Once we got to Paestum, though, we quickly forgot all that as we were blown away by the ancient Greek ruins. There are three temples standing in what was originally a Greek town, which was subsequently conquered by Luccians, Romans, Etruscans and anybody else who happened along. They all seem to have respected the previous customs and so what remains are some of the best preserved ruins in Magna Graecia. The museum has some of the only surviving Greek paintings, including the famous diver. For 2500+ year old ruins they were certainly amazing. Italy may not have the best Roman ruins, but they have some of the best Greek ones!
Today we spent time on the island of Capri. It was one very, very expensive day, but it seems there is no such thing as a cheap day on Capri. Our first port of call was the famous Blue Grotto. We saved a bit of cash by taking a bus to the grotto and jumping onto a rowboat at the bottom of the stairs leading to the water. The scene near the entrance was pure madness. Tour boats jostled for position and shouted to the smaller rowboats to come and take their passengers into the grotto. Once you get in a rowboat (and pay the 10€ per person fee) your boatman will grab a chain near the entrance, ask you all to lie very flat and then time the waves before pulling you through the small entrance. Our guy managed to bang the boat on the top of the rock, but we made it in. Once in you get a quick 5 minute paddle (and an 'impromptu' song) around the 60m long, 20m deep grotto before you repeat the procedure and pop out into the real world again. The blue light is quite remarkable, but the rigmarole involved in getting there is the most fun.
Next up we grabbed a chairlift to the top of one of the mountains (I forget the name). The trip takes you over numerous lemon, orange, and kiwifruit orchards before the final steep ascent. Twelve minutes later we were on top of the world looking down on creation. The view from so high up reminded me of being on an aeroplane, with the horizon blurring the sky and sea together.
We decided to hike back down and visit a church perched on the side of the mountian with a supposedly unbeatable view. Our path was blocked, however, by a scaly serpent!
We had seen a snake in Paestum the previous day (complete with girlish screams from both Michelle and myself) but that one seemed to be more scared of us than we were of it. The one on Capri, however, was not going to give up his favourite sunning rock. It was us or the snake, and so we turned around and ran back to Anacapri.
A short bus and ferry ride later we were back in Sorrento and far away from the snake. We grabbed a gelatti and wandered back to our hotel, just in time to sit and watch the sun set from a terrace nearby.
Back in the hotel we bumped into a couple from Victor Harbor while I was backing up some photos and talked for so long that our early night became yet another late one. After another huge meal at Taverna Rosso we are ready to hit the sack and prepare for Venice, the last Italian stop on our journey. I think I'm gonna miss the madness!
Thoughts on Italy
We have just come back from an expensive but entertaining day on Capri (pronounced KAH-pree, not like the pants). We completely blew our budget, but it was worth it as the views from the isalnd were stunning. I am just burning a DVD, so I'll put up some photos later, but thought I'd take a moment to reflect on Italy.
Compared to France and Barcelona, Italy seems like it is on a different planet! The people on the street walk at what we have dubbed "Italian pace", making it difficult to walk anywhere in a hurry. It's not uncommon for them to completely stop as they amble about, completely oblivious to anything and everyone. But as soon as those same people get behind the wheel of a car they all think they are in the F1! Crossing the road takes faith, as there are no crossing lights and the cars won't stop if you wait on the side of the road. You have to walk out in front of the cars and trust that they will brake. Usually they do, but some will just swerve around you and keep going flat out. You have to make sure to keep a consistent pace!
For a country that has millions of tourists each year, they do try pretty hard to give visitors a bad impression. The toilets are filthy and have no seats. Almost all tourist sites have rude staff. The trains are old, dirty and always late (unless you're late too, in which case they are on time). The streets have almost no signage. The pavement will occasionally disappear, leaving you to walk on the street and dodge cars. Everyone smokes, everywhere, all the time. There is dog poo everywhere and here in the Napoli district they haven't collected the rubbish in several weeks!
Yet, despite all this, Italy is a fantastic place and one that I could easily visit again. Our guidebook advised us to take a deep breath and relax whenever we encounter these Italian-isms, and that has been invaluable advice. We have also found that when you are able to spend a little more time and get to visit the same place a few times, the locals do warm to you. Quite often, the best hospitality is found in the cheapest, back street places.
In Rome we ended up in a small local food place after the restaurant we were looking for was closed. We umm-ed and ahh-ed before ordering the cheapest things on the menu (2 pastas) but the owner, although he didn't speak english, was gracious and very patient. He must have pitied our minimal meal, because he gave us large serves. While we were eating he came over and gave us a plate of fresh whole fave beans and pecorino cheese, and even showed us how to pop them out to eat, completely free! It was such a stark contrast to the overcharging, short-changing street vendors and cafés near the tourist sites and its a memory that has stuck with us. We have made it a habit now to seek out the smaller local places. If your hotelier is a local, it's a good idea to ask them where they eat!
In the end, that's the trick with Italy. It's not as organised as France or as welcoming as Spain, but once you get past the all the touristy crap and get to the heart of the real Italy, it is perhaps the most rewarding.
Compared to France and Barcelona, Italy seems like it is on a different planet! The people on the street walk at what we have dubbed "Italian pace", making it difficult to walk anywhere in a hurry. It's not uncommon for them to completely stop as they amble about, completely oblivious to anything and everyone. But as soon as those same people get behind the wheel of a car they all think they are in the F1! Crossing the road takes faith, as there are no crossing lights and the cars won't stop if you wait on the side of the road. You have to walk out in front of the cars and trust that they will brake. Usually they do, but some will just swerve around you and keep going flat out. You have to make sure to keep a consistent pace!
For a country that has millions of tourists each year, they do try pretty hard to give visitors a bad impression. The toilets are filthy and have no seats. Almost all tourist sites have rude staff. The trains are old, dirty and always late (unless you're late too, in which case they are on time). The streets have almost no signage. The pavement will occasionally disappear, leaving you to walk on the street and dodge cars. Everyone smokes, everywhere, all the time. There is dog poo everywhere and here in the Napoli district they haven't collected the rubbish in several weeks!
Yet, despite all this, Italy is a fantastic place and one that I could easily visit again. Our guidebook advised us to take a deep breath and relax whenever we encounter these Italian-isms, and that has been invaluable advice. We have also found that when you are able to spend a little more time and get to visit the same place a few times, the locals do warm to you. Quite often, the best hospitality is found in the cheapest, back street places.
In Rome we ended up in a small local food place after the restaurant we were looking for was closed. We umm-ed and ahh-ed before ordering the cheapest things on the menu (2 pastas) but the owner, although he didn't speak english, was gracious and very patient. He must have pitied our minimal meal, because he gave us large serves. While we were eating he came over and gave us a plate of fresh whole fave beans and pecorino cheese, and even showed us how to pop them out to eat, completely free! It was such a stark contrast to the overcharging, short-changing street vendors and cafés near the tourist sites and its a memory that has stuck with us. We have made it a habit now to seek out the smaller local places. If your hotelier is a local, it's a good idea to ask them where they eat!
In the end, that's the trick with Italy. It's not as organised as France or as welcoming as Spain, but once you get past the all the touristy crap and get to the heart of the real Italy, it is perhaps the most rewarding.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Super Mega Happy Photo Hour
I (finally) figured out how to upload more than five photos at a time.... although I'm not sure if that's a good thing! Apologies in advance for all the wasted bandwidth.
We have free internet again at our new hotel in St. Agnello, near Sorrento. We are staying in a converted monastery right near the sea, which makes a pleasant change from the madness of Rome. But, on to the photos...
First up, a photo from our last night in Carcassonne. The big bright ball of light on the left was actually the moon rising over the old city. We caught it by fluke after I got us lost leaving the city and took us through a dark, treacherous route to get to the bridge. It's a miracle we didn't twist or break our ankles as we climbed and jumped down the overgrown slopes in total darkness.
Next up is Pisa. We arrived early enough to book a trip up the tower wnd still have enough time for lunch (pesto on foccacia!). It certainly wasn't the highest tower we have climbed but it was certainly one of the most bizarre. When you are in the enclosed stairwell it seems like the walls should be straight up and down, but your balance is all off and it seems like you keep bumping into the walls. Definitely an experience even if the view from the top is a bit underwhelming.
This photo was taken from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence as the sun was setting. The bridge is full of shops selling jewellry.... Michelle was in heaven! I wandered off to take this photo and managed to lose Michelle briefly - on a bridge! It was packed with people and street hawkers. The police would turn up now and then and the hawkers would all disappear, but it seemed that there were always new ones setting up behind the cops as they walked by.
The view from the top of the Duomo in Florence is worth the 420-odd steps it takes to get there. We arrived late so we could see the sun set from the top and the view was magical.
From Florence we headed to Rome, and wandered around at night checking out the sights. The Pantheon was pretty awesome both in the day and night, but unfortunately we didn't get to go inside. The day we had put down to visit was a Sunday, but it is still used as a church (which is why it wasn't knocked down like other roman buildings) and so it was only open for services on Sunday. Curses!
The day that we should have gone to the Pantheon we went to the Collosseum instead! This was the 43rd day of our trip, as Michelle was only too eager to point out. The Collosseum was pretty much just as we expected. We had both seen and read so much about it that when we finally got inside it was a case of "yeah, and...?". After the awesome Pont du Gard and the well preserved amphitheater in Arles it seems that the best Roman ruins aren't in Rome!
But that's not to say that Rome isn't amazing in it's own right. This photo is from the Roman Forum, right next door to the Collosseum, and yes that is me standing in front of the arch. There are three of these arches still standing and they used to have a matching set opposite them and a huge arched roof... the scale of everything is so mind boggling!
Next up is a super sneaky photo from the Sistine Chapel. Don't tell anyone I took this because photos aren't allowed! I guess it was a little disrespectful, but unlike most of the other tourists in there I didn't use a flash! The ceiling and walls would be a bit overwhelming if our awesome guide hadn't broken it down for us beforehand. We had guided tours of both the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Scavi, which is a number of catacombs and excavations carried out underneath St. Peter's Basilica which uncovered St. Peter's original tomb.
Speaking of St. Peter's Basilica, we popped back in after our scavi tour and managed to catch the sun shining down on the altar (which we had just been scrambling underneath). The tour guide for the scavi was brilliant, giving some pretty impassioned speeches about the mausoleums and the mystery surrounding St. Peter's grave. I would recommend it to anyone, religious or not!
This one is a quick snap by Michelle of the typical Rome skyline as seen from pretty much any hill around town. There were actually two other domes that are just out of the frame!
We saved the best of Rome till last - the gelatti! We found an excellent place called Giolitti that serves the tastiest and best priced gelatti in town. It was one of the few places anywhere that we went back to twice. That night we had Rice (tasted like rice pudding) and Pistachio (tasted fresh, not like regular pistachio) on the left and Kiwifruit and Mixed Berry on the right. Bellissimo!
These last two pics come from Pompei, which we visited today on our way to St. Angello. The first shows the ruins of the Pompei Forum with Vesuvius inthe background. The mountain dominates the skyline from pretty much everywhere around the town. Imagine it with a pointed peak to get an idea of how much stuff was thrown out when it erupted for 18 hours straight.
Lastly, one of the many stray dogs in Pompei, but easily the cutest. Don't pat him though, he might have rabies!
Tomorrow we are deciding between visiting Capri island or checking out the Greek ruins at Paestum, but it will probably depend on the weather. With any luck we'll have some more photos to show off!
We have free internet again at our new hotel in St. Agnello, near Sorrento. We are staying in a converted monastery right near the sea, which makes a pleasant change from the madness of Rome. But, on to the photos...
First up, a photo from our last night in Carcassonne. The big bright ball of light on the left was actually the moon rising over the old city. We caught it by fluke after I got us lost leaving the city and took us through a dark, treacherous route to get to the bridge. It's a miracle we didn't twist or break our ankles as we climbed and jumped down the overgrown slopes in total darkness.
Next up is Pisa. We arrived early enough to book a trip up the tower wnd still have enough time for lunch (pesto on foccacia!). It certainly wasn't the highest tower we have climbed but it was certainly one of the most bizarre. When you are in the enclosed stairwell it seems like the walls should be straight up and down, but your balance is all off and it seems like you keep bumping into the walls. Definitely an experience even if the view from the top is a bit underwhelming.
This photo was taken from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence as the sun was setting. The bridge is full of shops selling jewellry.... Michelle was in heaven! I wandered off to take this photo and managed to lose Michelle briefly - on a bridge! It was packed with people and street hawkers. The police would turn up now and then and the hawkers would all disappear, but it seemed that there were always new ones setting up behind the cops as they walked by.
The view from the top of the Duomo in Florence is worth the 420-odd steps it takes to get there. We arrived late so we could see the sun set from the top and the view was magical.
From Florence we headed to Rome, and wandered around at night checking out the sights. The Pantheon was pretty awesome both in the day and night, but unfortunately we didn't get to go inside. The day we had put down to visit was a Sunday, but it is still used as a church (which is why it wasn't knocked down like other roman buildings) and so it was only open for services on Sunday. Curses!
The day that we should have gone to the Pantheon we went to the Collosseum instead! This was the 43rd day of our trip, as Michelle was only too eager to point out. The Collosseum was pretty much just as we expected. We had both seen and read so much about it that when we finally got inside it was a case of "yeah, and...?". After the awesome Pont du Gard and the well preserved amphitheater in Arles it seems that the best Roman ruins aren't in Rome!
But that's not to say that Rome isn't amazing in it's own right. This photo is from the Roman Forum, right next door to the Collosseum, and yes that is me standing in front of the arch. There are three of these arches still standing and they used to have a matching set opposite them and a huge arched roof... the scale of everything is so mind boggling!
Next up is a super sneaky photo from the Sistine Chapel. Don't tell anyone I took this because photos aren't allowed! I guess it was a little disrespectful, but unlike most of the other tourists in there I didn't use a flash! The ceiling and walls would be a bit overwhelming if our awesome guide hadn't broken it down for us beforehand. We had guided tours of both the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Scavi, which is a number of catacombs and excavations carried out underneath St. Peter's Basilica which uncovered St. Peter's original tomb.
Speaking of St. Peter's Basilica, we popped back in after our scavi tour and managed to catch the sun shining down on the altar (which we had just been scrambling underneath). The tour guide for the scavi was brilliant, giving some pretty impassioned speeches about the mausoleums and the mystery surrounding St. Peter's grave. I would recommend it to anyone, religious or not!
This one is a quick snap by Michelle of the typical Rome skyline as seen from pretty much any hill around town. There were actually two other domes that are just out of the frame!
We saved the best of Rome till last - the gelatti! We found an excellent place called Giolitti that serves the tastiest and best priced gelatti in town. It was one of the few places anywhere that we went back to twice. That night we had Rice (tasted like rice pudding) and Pistachio (tasted fresh, not like regular pistachio) on the left and Kiwifruit and Mixed Berry on the right. Bellissimo!
These last two pics come from Pompei, which we visited today on our way to St. Angello. The first shows the ruins of the Pompei Forum with Vesuvius inthe background. The mountain dominates the skyline from pretty much everywhere around the town. Imagine it with a pointed peak to get an idea of how much stuff was thrown out when it erupted for 18 hours straight.
Lastly, one of the many stray dogs in Pompei, but easily the cutest. Don't pat him though, he might have rabies!
Tomorrow we are deciding between visiting Capri island or checking out the Greek ruins at Paestum, but it will probably depend on the weather. With any luck we'll have some more photos to show off!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Last photos for a while
These may be the last photos for a while as we are leaving for Rome soon.
First photo is from Arles, where Van Gogh painted some of his most famous paintings before being driven crazy by the wind and cutting off his ear! They have easels around the town to show where he painted each scene, and in the case of the garden it has been kept in exactly the same state it was when it was painted.
Now we are off to the Pont du Gard! It has stood for nearly 2000 years and was part of Roman aqueduct that brought water to Nimes. It is the second tallest roman ruin around (the Colosseum is 6 feet taller) and it is a pretty amazing piece of engineering. We spent a long and lazy day there getting sunburnt and climbing all up and around it.
Next we have Nice and it's beautiful water. Photos can't do it justice, the water is so brilliant and clear. Shame about all the rocks!
Manarola is next, one of the Cinque Terre (five fishing villages I mention earlier). Once again the water is so clear, but a little less clean than in Nice. It was a little too cold for swimming but it was so tempting at times!
Finally, a snap from our balcony in Manarola.... 'nuff said!
First photo is from Arles, where Van Gogh painted some of his most famous paintings before being driven crazy by the wind and cutting off his ear! They have easels around the town to show where he painted each scene, and in the case of the garden it has been kept in exactly the same state it was when it was painted.
Now we are off to the Pont du Gard! It has stood for nearly 2000 years and was part of Roman aqueduct that brought water to Nimes. It is the second tallest roman ruin around (the Colosseum is 6 feet taller) and it is a pretty amazing piece of engineering. We spent a long and lazy day there getting sunburnt and climbing all up and around it.
Next we have Nice and it's beautiful water. Photos can't do it justice, the water is so brilliant and clear. Shame about all the rocks!
Manarola is next, one of the Cinque Terre (five fishing villages I mention earlier). Once again the water is so clear, but a little less clean than in Nice. It was a little too cold for swimming but it was so tempting at times!
Finally, a snap from our balcony in Manarola.... 'nuff said!
Around Europe in 5 Photos
Okay, the next lot is a bit random, but Michelle helped me pick them, so I'm gonna blame her!
The first photo comes from France, specifically Normandy. We had just picked up the hire car that day and were getting used to the crazy French drivers and their zany road rules when we came across some road works. It all looked very serious and they even had a guy out waving a flag to slow everyone down. Well, at least that's what it looked like. Apparently they are a bit lazy in France and rather than have someone stand there to wave down traffic (and miss out on valuable poodle kissing time) they have instead employed a robot to do the work - complete with his own water bottle! It might miss something in the translation but it had us laughing for a long time. Only in France!
From the ridiculous to the sublime; Mont-St-Michel at night. We arrived just before sunset and wandered over for dinner. Afterwards we ambled around the ramparts until the sun had well and truly set before setting off back to our hotel. It was bitterly cold, but the views were stunning. It was times like these that I was glad for my Gorillapod (even if I did set it up a little wonky).
Next we are off to Barcelona and to the La Boqueria markets where we had two fantastic meals. The cafes in the market make a fresh menu each day from produce that they source from around the market. We had some excellent squid, baby clams, sea bass and fresh vegetables, all cooked right in front of you and served with a great house wine. Some of the best value food we had came from here!
Next stop is the Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction after all these years. The columns in the photo were designed by Gaudi, but it took modern equipment to be able to build them quickly and safely. Once completed the church will dominate the Barcelona skyline, and with all the cranes and spires already completed you could argue that it already does.
Finally, we are back in France with a view of Carcassonne at night. We stayed in a wonderful B&B and spent a few nights resting and recuperating after several full-on weeks. The castle is amazing fun to run around, and at night it just gets better as all the tour groups leave. We had the castle to ourselves on most nights and took full advantage, storming the walls, shooting arrows at invaders and then sneaking out the back entrance!
Thats it for tonight, I have hogged the computer for over an hour now! We spent a busy day in Florence today, visiting the Accademia (to see Michelangelo's David) , a precious stone museum, The Uffizi Gallery (with Botticelli's Birth of Venus and so much more), the Santa Croce Basilica (with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli...) and then up-and-down the Duomo Dome (the view was worth each of the 428 steps). It was a hectic day and we are pretty tired. There is still so much of Florence to see, but we are off to Rome tomorrow. Then the real madness begins!
The first photo comes from France, specifically Normandy. We had just picked up the hire car that day and were getting used to the crazy French drivers and their zany road rules when we came across some road works. It all looked very serious and they even had a guy out waving a flag to slow everyone down. Well, at least that's what it looked like. Apparently they are a bit lazy in France and rather than have someone stand there to wave down traffic (and miss out on valuable poodle kissing time) they have instead employed a robot to do the work - complete with his own water bottle! It might miss something in the translation but it had us laughing for a long time. Only in France!
From the ridiculous to the sublime; Mont-St-Michel at night. We arrived just before sunset and wandered over for dinner. Afterwards we ambled around the ramparts until the sun had well and truly set before setting off back to our hotel. It was bitterly cold, but the views were stunning. It was times like these that I was glad for my Gorillapod (even if I did set it up a little wonky).
Next we are off to Barcelona and to the La Boqueria markets where we had two fantastic meals. The cafes in the market make a fresh menu each day from produce that they source from around the market. We had some excellent squid, baby clams, sea bass and fresh vegetables, all cooked right in front of you and served with a great house wine. Some of the best value food we had came from here!
Next stop is the Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction after all these years. The columns in the photo were designed by Gaudi, but it took modern equipment to be able to build them quickly and safely. Once completed the church will dominate the Barcelona skyline, and with all the cranes and spires already completed you could argue that it already does.
Finally, we are back in France with a view of Carcassonne at night. We stayed in a wonderful B&B and spent a few nights resting and recuperating after several full-on weeks. The castle is amazing fun to run around, and at night it just gets better as all the tour groups leave. We had the castle to ourselves on most nights and took full advantage, storming the walls, shooting arrows at invaders and then sneaking out the back entrance!
Thats it for tonight, I have hogged the computer for over an hour now! We spent a busy day in Florence today, visiting the Accademia (to see Michelangelo's David) , a precious stone museum, The Uffizi Gallery (with Botticelli's Birth of Venus and so much more), the Santa Croce Basilica (with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli...) and then up-and-down the Duomo Dome (the view was worth each of the 428 steps). It was a hectic day and we are pretty tired. There is still so much of Florence to see, but we are off to Rome tomorrow. Then the real madness begins!
Chateau!
I finally figured out how to get my USB thingy to work on the hotel computer so I get to upload a few photos! These are going to be a little out of order, but who cares!
For starters we'll have some of the wonderful chateaus that we visited in the Loire Valley. First up is Ussé which was a bit over priced so we didn't go in. You can get a wonderful view from across the road though!
Next we have Villandry, with its magical gardens. It was pouring with rain that day, which meant we had to buy an 8 euro umbrella, but also meant we had the whole place pretty much to ourselves. The maze was fun and Michelle has a wee little video that she might upload later.
Next is the Disney-esque Chaumont, which was a real disappointment inside. You get the best views from the (free) gardens.
Next up is my favourite, Chambord. It is set in the middle of a huge wild game park (it was a hunting lodge) and it is simple amazing from any angle. It features a double-helix spiral staircase inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and has apartments/chambers set up in different styles to reflect the different centuries. It has over 400 rooms and 220 chimneys!
Finally is Cheverny, which has one of the best preserved interiors. The same family who built it still live there! They were nice enough to the locals that when the revolution came (as they always do in France) they were spared the guillotine and pitchforks that other lords got. Cheverny is also a hunting lodge and has a huge pack of hunting hounds that you can visit.
We also visited Chenonceaux (which was fantastic) and stopped to photograph several other chateaus on the roadsides, but unfortunately I can only do 5 photos at a time! So that's it for the chateaus... there are so many other photos to choose from! Where to next?
For starters we'll have some of the wonderful chateaus that we visited in the Loire Valley. First up is Ussé which was a bit over priced so we didn't go in. You can get a wonderful view from across the road though!
Next we have Villandry, with its magical gardens. It was pouring with rain that day, which meant we had to buy an 8 euro umbrella, but also meant we had the whole place pretty much to ourselves. The maze was fun and Michelle has a wee little video that she might upload later.
Next is the Disney-esque Chaumont, which was a real disappointment inside. You get the best views from the (free) gardens.
Next up is my favourite, Chambord. It is set in the middle of a huge wild game park (it was a hunting lodge) and it is simple amazing from any angle. It features a double-helix spiral staircase inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and has apartments/chambers set up in different styles to reflect the different centuries. It has over 400 rooms and 220 chimneys!
Finally is Cheverny, which has one of the best preserved interiors. The same family who built it still live there! They were nice enough to the locals that when the revolution came (as they always do in France) they were spared the guillotine and pitchforks that other lords got. Cheverny is also a hunting lodge and has a huge pack of hunting hounds that you can visit.
We also visited Chenonceaux (which was fantastic) and stopped to photograph several other chateaus on the roadsides, but unfortunately I can only do 5 photos at a time! So that's it for the chateaus... there are so many other photos to choose from! Where to next?
Monday, April 28, 2008
First Days in Italy
We have finally entered Italy for the first time on our vacation. We left France after spending a relaxing and eye-opening day in Nice and Monaco (complete with million dollar sports cars). We are now relaxing in the Cinque Terre - five italian villages perched on cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean.
The contrast from France to Italy was immediately obvious in the train station at Genova. The French rail system had been efficient and accurate for our entire journey and we (naively) expected the same from Italy. We needed to transfer to a local train and had given ourselves about 45 minutes to get tickets... which would have been plenty if the train didn't arrive 30 minutes late! We rushed to the ticket counter but there were only 3 people working (on a Saturday) and the line was too long. Several of the automatic machines were broken, but we queued for them since the line was shorter.
While in line a dopey looking guy in a business suit came and stood next to me. When it was my turn he started using the machine. I pointed out that I was next in line, but he ignored me. When I pressed my point he started waving his hands and talking loudly like he was the most important man in the station. As it turned out, he couldn't spell the station name he wanted and took so long doing it that we both missed our trains.
We ended up queuing for the ticket booth!
Nevertheless, once you get off the train and away from the irate locals it is a beautiful place. We are staying in Manarola, a comparatively quiet village. The water is so crystal clear and the views are stunning. We have hiked between three of the villages so far and will do the last two tomorrow. Although the trails are reasonably clear there are moments when it is just you and the cliffside. To reach the last town we visited we had to climb 320 steps! We celebrated reaching the top with some gelatti and frozen yoghurt. The food so far has been excellent and the wine is very cheap and very easy to drink. They even serve it at the train station while you wait for the next train.
After the calmness of Cinque Terre we are off to Florence and Rome, so we are soaking up the relaxing rays while we can (perched on a rock no less - no sand here!).
The contrast from France to Italy was immediately obvious in the train station at Genova. The French rail system had been efficient and accurate for our entire journey and we (naively) expected the same from Italy. We needed to transfer to a local train and had given ourselves about 45 minutes to get tickets... which would have been plenty if the train didn't arrive 30 minutes late! We rushed to the ticket counter but there were only 3 people working (on a Saturday) and the line was too long. Several of the automatic machines were broken, but we queued for them since the line was shorter.
While in line a dopey looking guy in a business suit came and stood next to me. When it was my turn he started using the machine. I pointed out that I was next in line, but he ignored me. When I pressed my point he started waving his hands and talking loudly like he was the most important man in the station. As it turned out, he couldn't spell the station name he wanted and took so long doing it that we both missed our trains.
We ended up queuing for the ticket booth!
Nevertheless, once you get off the train and away from the irate locals it is a beautiful place. We are staying in Manarola, a comparatively quiet village. The water is so crystal clear and the views are stunning. We have hiked between three of the villages so far and will do the last two tomorrow. Although the trails are reasonably clear there are moments when it is just you and the cliffside. To reach the last town we visited we had to climb 320 steps! We celebrated reaching the top with some gelatti and frozen yoghurt. The food so far has been excellent and the wine is very cheap and very easy to drink. They even serve it at the train station while you wait for the next train.
After the calmness of Cinque Terre we are off to Florence and Rome, so we are soaking up the relaxing rays while we can (perched on a rock no less - no sand here!).
Monday, April 21, 2008
Upset Tummies
We've managed to hunt down some internet access here in Carcassonne but we are forced to use French keyboards with all their crazy keys in crazy places! Still no photos... maybe we should have bought that laptop in Hong Kong after all!
To be honest, we haven't missed the technology at all, except maybe our ipods when on long train trips! It has forced us to update our travel journals and also to read (and re-read) all the travel info we have.
Barcelona was an extremely cool place. We were staying in the Barri Gottic, which was convienently located in the restaurant/bar district. Convenient, that is, until we tried to sleep! The locals are on a different clock to everyone else and would routinely be up at 3-4am partying - right outside our window! It didn't help that I got a bit sick from something I ate and was heading to bed at 10pm.
Despite all that, Barcelona is a place I could easily revisit. A rainstorm kept us from visiting Figueres, but in between the rain there was brilliant sunshine and an excellent vibe. A memorable place!
We are now staying in the ancient town of Carcassonne, with its ridiculously awesome looking castle. In terms of pure medieval-ness it blows away everything else we have seen so far. You can almost still see the archers shooting arrows and people pouring oil on you! It's one cool place.
My time is almost up now. Au revoir all!
To be honest, we haven't missed the technology at all, except maybe our ipods when on long train trips! It has forced us to update our travel journals and also to read (and re-read) all the travel info we have.
Barcelona was an extremely cool place. We were staying in the Barri Gottic, which was convienently located in the restaurant/bar district. Convenient, that is, until we tried to sleep! The locals are on a different clock to everyone else and would routinely be up at 3-4am partying - right outside our window! It didn't help that I got a bit sick from something I ate and was heading to bed at 10pm.
Despite all that, Barcelona is a place I could easily revisit. A rainstorm kept us from visiting Figueres, but in between the rain there was brilliant sunshine and an excellent vibe. A memorable place!
We are now staying in the ancient town of Carcassonne, with its ridiculously awesome looking castle. In terms of pure medieval-ness it blows away everything else we have seen so far. You can almost still see the archers shooting arrows and people pouring oil on you! It's one cool place.
My time is almost up now. Au revoir all!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Castle Hopping
Here is a guest post from Michelle (okay, its an email she wrote, but I am hijacking it):
"Hi guys,
Hope all is well with all of you! Managed to find an internet cafe
(finally) complete with english keyboard! Its the only one in a few
towns nearby to where we're staying! (yay i can type at normal speed!)
to give you guys an update.
These past few days we have been driving around in a rented car (mum
dont worry, I've been a very safe driver and we have been upgraded
from a toyota yaris to a mercedes benz! -much safer!) We left paris
last friday.. oh by the way, I got a bit ill from somethng i ate, so
the following day when we went to versailles, I managed to throw up
there! - RIght outside the Kings gallery of lots of paintings of
himself and his rellies.(I know, classy story.. but it was a pretty
amazing place to be sick in!- Lots of security guards on walky talkies
contacted each other quickly and a medic team immediately rocked up
outta no where, checking my blood pressure.. asking me questons .. I
felt like a VIP in a strange way!) There were hoards of people there
and the medic got them to get outta the way just so we can get to the
cafe to get an overpriced coke to settle my stomach.) It would have
taken 15 mins just to get thru the crowds to the cafe otherwise!
- Im stll not sure if it was the capaccio of beef (raw beef) or pork
pate i ate. But phil reckons its was the pork pate cos he didnt get
sick. Im not going to be so adventurous anymore i think.. too many
snails... :P (tho theyre yummy!- phil loves them.)
Anyway we've been driving around the past few days from sight to
sight, town to town. The french are interesting drivers... and really,
anything goes.. I have been beeped a few times though! Their roads are
really narrow, really, driving in australia is an absoloute blessing-
what with the wide straight roads! BUt.. im getting used to it...
We've seen an ancient abbey/monastery and town around it thats built
on an island..called Mont St Michel, lots of DDay sights around teh
Normandy beaches ( I know all about it now.. and what I dont know,
Phil let me know.. he is a bit of a war buff) :) Visited the American
and German cemeteries- a massive contrast to each other. American one
is a sight to behold with white crosses as far as the eye can see. But
the German one is much more sombre with just black stones on the
ground with the names of the soldies on it and also occasional black
crosses and an extremely morbid monument in the middle of the
cemetery. Unforunately we cant put the pics up right now at the
internet cafe.
Other than that we have seen some amazing castles.. some are just
drive bys, some we went into..unforgettable. Its pretty free being
able to drive around.. stop whenever you like.
Tomorrow, we are doing one more day of chateau hopping and then back
to paris to catch a night train to barcelona. So used to hearing and
using french now.. that it will be weird having to change to spanish
for four days and then switch back to french after that. (we are going
back to south of france afterwards.)
by the way, im a bit over cheese.. its in EVERYTHING! but phil is
enjoying all the diff types of cheese and interesting ways they can
add it to dishes!
I reckon thats about it for now.. we are safe and well and enjoying
frenchie life.. eating well and the wine.. even the house wine (thats
all we order usually) is FANTASTIC quality! (love the wine!)
okay will write soon!
love michelle (and phil!)oxox"
There isn't much more to add! We have been hanging out to post some more photos, but they are going to have to wait. We have had such spotty internet connectivity that its been a trial getting any time in front of a computer. That said, we've chewed up our 30 mins here already and should go. We'll post again from (hopefully) sunny Barcelona!
"Hi guys,
Hope all is well with all of you! Managed to find an internet cafe
(finally) complete with english keyboard! Its the only one in a few
towns nearby to where we're staying! (yay i can type at normal speed!)
to give you guys an update.
These past few days we have been driving around in a rented car (mum
dont worry, I've been a very safe driver and we have been upgraded
from a toyota yaris to a mercedes benz! -much safer!) We left paris
last friday.. oh by the way, I got a bit ill from somethng i ate, so
the following day when we went to versailles, I managed to throw up
there! - RIght outside the Kings gallery of lots of paintings of
himself and his rellies.(I know, classy story.. but it was a pretty
amazing place to be sick in!- Lots of security guards on walky talkies
contacted each other quickly and a medic team immediately rocked up
outta no where, checking my blood pressure.. asking me questons .. I
felt like a VIP in a strange way!) There were hoards of people there
and the medic got them to get outta the way just so we can get to the
cafe to get an overpriced coke to settle my stomach.) It would have
taken 15 mins just to get thru the crowds to the cafe otherwise!
- Im stll not sure if it was the capaccio of beef (raw beef) or pork
pate i ate. But phil reckons its was the pork pate cos he didnt get
sick. Im not going to be so adventurous anymore i think.. too many
snails... :P (tho theyre yummy!- phil loves them.)
Anyway we've been driving around the past few days from sight to
sight, town to town. The french are interesting drivers... and really,
anything goes.. I have been beeped a few times though! Their roads are
really narrow, really, driving in australia is an absoloute blessing-
what with the wide straight roads! BUt.. im getting used to it...
We've seen an ancient abbey/monastery and town around it thats built
on an island..called Mont St Michel, lots of DDay sights around teh
Normandy beaches ( I know all about it now.. and what I dont know,
Phil let me know.. he is a bit of a war buff) :) Visited the American
and German cemeteries- a massive contrast to each other. American one
is a sight to behold with white crosses as far as the eye can see. But
the German one is much more sombre with just black stones on the
ground with the names of the soldies on it and also occasional black
crosses and an extremely morbid monument in the middle of the
cemetery. Unforunately we cant put the pics up right now at the
internet cafe.
Other than that we have seen some amazing castles.. some are just
drive bys, some we went into..unforgettable. Its pretty free being
able to drive around.. stop whenever you like.
Tomorrow, we are doing one more day of chateau hopping and then back
to paris to catch a night train to barcelona. So used to hearing and
using french now.. that it will be weird having to change to spanish
for four days and then switch back to french after that. (we are going
back to south of france afterwards.)
by the way, im a bit over cheese.. its in EVERYTHING! but phil is
enjoying all the diff types of cheese and interesting ways they can
add it to dishes!
I reckon thats about it for now.. we are safe and well and enjoying
frenchie life.. eating well and the wine.. even the house wine (thats
all we order usually) is FANTASTIC quality! (love the wine!)
okay will write soon!
love michelle (and phil!)oxox"
There isn't much more to add! We have been hanging out to post some more photos, but they are going to have to wait. We have had such spotty internet connectivity that its been a trial getting any time in front of a computer. That said, we've chewed up our 30 mins here already and should go. We'll post again from (hopefully) sunny Barcelona!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Paris
As expected, our internet access has completely dried up. Not only that, but we are running out of room on our memory cards and are still yet to find somewhere to burn a dvd!
Nevertheless, we are in Paris and all is well. We have hit most of the major sites so far; Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and much, much more. It has been a little colder than expected. It even snowed while we were up the Eiffel Tower!
The best thing so far has been our Segway tour on the first night. We spent several hours zipping around Paris and viewing the major attractions. It didn't rain but it was bitingly cold. You don't move much on a Segway so we ended up frozen like popsicles! It was still an awesome experience and recommended to anyone who has the opportunity.
Tomorrow we are off to Versailles. Once we get a good stab at a PC we'll try and upload some more photos. Paris and London are both beautiful cities (if not a bit smelly).
Au revoir!
Nevertheless, we are in Paris and all is well. We have hit most of the major sites so far; Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and much, much more. It has been a little colder than expected. It even snowed while we were up the Eiffel Tower!
The best thing so far has been our Segway tour on the first night. We spent several hours zipping around Paris and viewing the major attractions. It didn't rain but it was bitingly cold. You don't move much on a Segway so we ended up frozen like popsicles! It was still an awesome experience and recommended to anyone who has the opportunity.
Tomorrow we are off to Versailles. Once we get a good stab at a PC we'll try and upload some more photos. Paris and London are both beautiful cities (if not a bit smelly).
Au revoir!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The Mother Country
We touched down in London yesterday afternoon after a 7:35am flight from Hong Kong. Even though we had planned a quiet final day in HK we still ended up staying awake until about 1am! Nevertheless, after checking in to our hotel we headed out to Dennis Sever's House. We weren't allowed to take photos, but there are plenty on the site.
Fort those too lazy to follow the link, it is a house that has been kept in the style of the 17-1800s and is meant to be viewed as if the people living there have just left before you arrived. We were both jet-lagged and tired so the experience was quite surreal, but definitely worth it!
We almost didn't make it thanks to the inefficient rail system! After Hong Kong we were expecting a similar level of service (since the poms built the HK system) , but we know now to leave a lot earlier than you anticipate if you want to get anywhere on time.
Today we are going to knock off a few of the major attractions. Apparently it is going to be 16 degrees today with only occasional showers, which apparently makes it the mildest day of the year so far! Hooray!
Fort those too lazy to follow the link, it is a house that has been kept in the style of the 17-1800s and is meant to be viewed as if the people living there have just left before you arrived. We were both jet-lagged and tired so the experience was quite surreal, but definitely worth it!
We almost didn't make it thanks to the inefficient rail system! After Hong Kong we were expecting a similar level of service (since the poms built the HK system) , but we know now to leave a lot earlier than you anticipate if you want to get anywhere on time.
Today we are going to knock off a few of the major attractions. Apparently it is going to be 16 degrees today with only occasional showers, which apparently makes it the mildest day of the year so far! Hooray!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Macao
We spent yesterday in Macao visiting Michelle's grandmother and an uncle and aunty that live there. Her uncle Paul had taken the day off and was kind enough to show us around the tourist sights, including sampling the famous Portuguese egg tarts!
Paul works at one of the local casinos and took us in to see the best ones. We caught a crazy floor exhibition thingy at the Wynn's casino. It apparently cost several million dollars to produce and is designed to get people into the casino and in the mood to gamble!
When we walked in we were marvelling at the animated ceiling, made up of hundred of LCD TV tiles. Just when I was getting the camera out, the screen parted and a huge chandelier descended from the ceiling. If that wasn't enough, the floor opened up and a golden tree rose from the floor and rotated under the chandelier while its leaves changed colour. After a few minutes of spinning trees, they all retreated back to their starting positions and an embossed covering showing all the chinese signs covered the ceiling. It was all pretty ostentatious, but kinda cool.
There are many mainland Chinese people moving there and they have caused the population to more than triple since the reunion with China. Even so, you can still spot the occasional person of Portuguese descent.
From the site of the old fort you can see all of Macao and mainland China spread out before you. The cannons at the fort used to be able to reach the harbour, but there has been so much land reclaimed that now they would be lucky to hit the casinos!
Macao has legalised gambling and there are some humongous casinos there. They dwarf all other buildings and are designed in crazy shapes or colours to attract the punters. They completely dominate the skyline near the coast. The rest of Macao is a mish-mash of old Portuguese and Chinese style buildings. The road signs are all in Portuguese and Cantonese. Even though it is only 45 minutes away by ferry (or 1.5 hours if you catch the slow one we got) it really is a completely different culture.
Paul was an awesome guide and her family were very hospitable. Like Hong Kong, the apartments are humble in Macao, but they had managed to buy two adjoining flats and knock through the separating wall to create a spacious and cozy apartment.
Yes, they were happy to see us, they just don't seem to smile for photos!
This will likely be my final blog entry for a while. We've been lucky enough to have a computer with internet access in our room so its made updating a breeze. I imagine the updates will be a little less frequent once we hit the UK.
Paul works at one of the local casinos and took us in to see the best ones. We caught a crazy floor exhibition thingy at the Wynn's casino. It apparently cost several million dollars to produce and is designed to get people into the casino and in the mood to gamble!
When we walked in we were marvelling at the animated ceiling, made up of hundred of LCD TV tiles. Just when I was getting the camera out, the screen parted and a huge chandelier descended from the ceiling. If that wasn't enough, the floor opened up and a golden tree rose from the floor and rotated under the chandelier while its leaves changed colour. After a few minutes of spinning trees, they all retreated back to their starting positions and an embossed covering showing all the chinese signs covered the ceiling. It was all pretty ostentatious, but kinda cool.
There are many mainland Chinese people moving there and they have caused the population to more than triple since the reunion with China. Even so, you can still spot the occasional person of Portuguese descent.
From the site of the old fort you can see all of Macao and mainland China spread out before you. The cannons at the fort used to be able to reach the harbour, but there has been so much land reclaimed that now they would be lucky to hit the casinos!
Macao has legalised gambling and there are some humongous casinos there. They dwarf all other buildings and are designed in crazy shapes or colours to attract the punters. They completely dominate the skyline near the coast. The rest of Macao is a mish-mash of old Portuguese and Chinese style buildings. The road signs are all in Portuguese and Cantonese. Even though it is only 45 minutes away by ferry (or 1.5 hours if you catch the slow one we got) it really is a completely different culture.
Paul was an awesome guide and her family were very hospitable. Like Hong Kong, the apartments are humble in Macao, but they had managed to buy two adjoining flats and knock through the separating wall to create a spacious and cozy apartment.
Yes, they were happy to see us, they just don't seem to smile for photos!
This will likely be my final blog entry for a while. We've been lucky enough to have a computer with internet access in our room so its made updating a breeze. I imagine the updates will be a little less frequent once we hit the UK.
Afternoon in Lantau
After the crazy bus ride from Tai O we visited the Po Lin Monastery on the top of one of the mountains on Lantau. Its famous for having the largest outdoor sitting buddha in the world, which is perhaps the most specific buddha-related record ever!
After a yummy vegetarian meal at the monastery we made our way up the 256 steps to check out the Buddha. The temple on top of the hill actually has a white (bone) Buddha relic on site. You can see it, but can't photograph it unfortunately. It was pretty cool and unexpected. It had been gifted to the monastery by monks in Sri Lanka.
Surrounding the Buddha are various statues making offerings. These are pretty impressive in their own right, but they are dwarfed by massive sitting Buddha. He is so big, in fact, that it's hard to get him all in to one photo!
It was such an effort to get up there that we were a bit reluctant to get down. Luckily it was the perfect spot for some quiet reflection... until the next massive gust of wind buffeted you!
After making the much easier descent we headed over to Ngong Ping (a fake tourist village) to catch the cable car back to the train station. Michelle was pretty terrified because it was crazy windy that day, but the car was stable enough and the views were amazing.
Soon enough we were back on the MTR and off home. Lantau is only a few train stops away from Hong Kong but it seems like another world! There is a crazy mix of old-world villages and brand new cities. The contrast between the authentic and dirty Tai O and the fake but pristine Ngong Ping was stark.
After a yummy vegetarian meal at the monastery we made our way up the 256 steps to check out the Buddha. The temple on top of the hill actually has a white (bone) Buddha relic on site. You can see it, but can't photograph it unfortunately. It was pretty cool and unexpected. It had been gifted to the monastery by monks in Sri Lanka.
Surrounding the Buddha are various statues making offerings. These are pretty impressive in their own right, but they are dwarfed by massive sitting Buddha. He is so big, in fact, that it's hard to get him all in to one photo!
It was such an effort to get up there that we were a bit reluctant to get down. Luckily it was the perfect spot for some quiet reflection... until the next massive gust of wind buffeted you!
After making the much easier descent we headed over to Ngong Ping (a fake tourist village) to catch the cable car back to the train station. Michelle was pretty terrified because it was crazy windy that day, but the car was stable enough and the views were amazing.
Soon enough we were back on the MTR and off home. Lantau is only a few train stops away from Hong Kong but it seems like another world! There is a crazy mix of old-world villages and brand new cities. The contrast between the authentic and dirty Tai O and the fake but pristine Ngong Ping was stark.
A Day Late and a Dollar Short
We didn't get home until very late last night, so I'm gonna break up the days events to make it easier on my brain!
We spent most of yesterday on Lantau Island, which is where the new airport is located. It is actually a pretty massive island, as we found out after we missed our bus and had to taxi across to the other side to join our tour. In the end we beat the bus there and the other tourists never showed up, so our tour guide David took us on a very private (and free!) tour around the fishing village of Tai O.
Tai O is a stilt village populated predominantly by fishing folk. The houses are built over the water on stilts, and they are pretty ramshackle. The people there were really friendly and tolerant of us stickin our noses in everywhere.
Our tour guide, David, was a local resident who had learned english many years ago and so was picked to lead the tours. He was informative and easygoing, but a bit pushy when it came to buying souvenirs and kinck-knacks to support the local economy. Tai O was nice enough that we didn't need the hard sell to make donations at the temples, but his insistence was a bit off-putting.
Nevertheless, Tai O was a fascinating look into a completely different way of life. Their fortunes are made or broken on the sea, so there are plenty of wishing trees and shrines to the relevant gods around the place. Like most of these places, they find it hard to keep the youngsters around and it looks like Tai O will eventually morph into a more tourist-focused enterprise. The government had recently built a high-rise nearby to give people an alternative to the squatting lifestyle, but it kind of misses the point (and ruins the view).
The parting memory I have of Tai O was using the local toilet before we left. It was a squat toilet, whch is no suprise, but it was just a hole in the floor that went into the harbour. The amount of trash floating in water was apalling and pissing into the harbour was a fitting finale.
After we left Tai O we had a 30 minute wait for the bus to leave. The bus had arrived early and the driver got out to have a smoke before we left, but a cleaning lady kept harassing him and getting him to move. They ended up having a massive argument that escalated into a shouting match and the driver was so pissed that he stormed onto the bus and told us to get on and we left 20 minutes early! Sweet!
We spent most of yesterday on Lantau Island, which is where the new airport is located. It is actually a pretty massive island, as we found out after we missed our bus and had to taxi across to the other side to join our tour. In the end we beat the bus there and the other tourists never showed up, so our tour guide David took us on a very private (and free!) tour around the fishing village of Tai O.
Tai O is a stilt village populated predominantly by fishing folk. The houses are built over the water on stilts, and they are pretty ramshackle. The people there were really friendly and tolerant of us stickin our noses in everywhere.
Our tour guide, David, was a local resident who had learned english many years ago and so was picked to lead the tours. He was informative and easygoing, but a bit pushy when it came to buying souvenirs and kinck-knacks to support the local economy. Tai O was nice enough that we didn't need the hard sell to make donations at the temples, but his insistence was a bit off-putting.
Nevertheless, Tai O was a fascinating look into a completely different way of life. Their fortunes are made or broken on the sea, so there are plenty of wishing trees and shrines to the relevant gods around the place. Like most of these places, they find it hard to keep the youngsters around and it looks like Tai O will eventually morph into a more tourist-focused enterprise. The government had recently built a high-rise nearby to give people an alternative to the squatting lifestyle, but it kind of misses the point (and ruins the view).
The parting memory I have of Tai O was using the local toilet before we left. It was a squat toilet, whch is no suprise, but it was just a hole in the floor that went into the harbour. The amount of trash floating in water was apalling and pissing into the harbour was a fitting finale.
After we left Tai O we had a 30 minute wait for the bus to leave. The bus had arrived early and the driver got out to have a smoke before we left, but a cleaning lady kept harassing him and getting him to move. They ended up having a massive argument that escalated into a shouting match and the driver was so pissed that he stormed onto the bus and told us to get on and we left 20 minutes early! Sweet!
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