Days 208 - 210
1.00 USD = 1.2 AUD
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THanks so much for your emails...sorry i can't reply individually, i only have 15 minutes on here! We really appreciate you writing to us..love you guys! xx
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New York, USA
I LOVE New York!
haha..that's the catchphrase you see everywhere!! I even bought a bag with that on it..gotta get into the spirit!
And we are loving New York. So much energy..so much going on..the lights, the noises, the people..it's all NEW YORK.
We had a great tour around the city..and saw everything..the Empire State Building (Which we went up!) is wonderful. It has 202 storey's. We had to go to the 80th floor first, then to the the 86th, then to the top. Amazing views of the city. We did the touristy thing, got pics taken which cost a fortune. Oh well, not everyday you go up the Empire State Building! Didn't see King Kong tho...haha
Wall Street is tiny.....
The subway is an experience..last night on the way home, we were the only ones with colour and creed of our own...and it wasn't scary at all. (We're in budget neigbourhood haha)
Interesting all the different names for trains i reckon....in Europe it's the Metro...in England it's Tube...in US it's subway...and we're getting the hang of it, amazingly enough! We can certainly read maps now!!!! Anywhere in the world......crikey.
We've gotten the hang of tips....which is ok. They generally tell you what you should give...and we've basically been eating in fast food places where there are no tips!
We went to Macy's...Greg bought Kouros hehe..i bought nothing........gosh i'm good!! haha
Brooklyn Bridge is amazing...famous....
Gosh..Madison Gardens, Central Park, all the places you see on TV...it's just SO exciting.
The United Nations is in progress at the mo so it's really busy downtown NY!
There are communities here called, "Little Italy, Little India, Little Chinatown" all fun places to see and go strolling through, which we did.
Broadway is weird. Everytime Broadway crosses a block of buildings, there's a park on the corner!
Tonight..we're off to a BROADWAY play...to see a musical....we're so excited. I'll tell you about that when we've been!
And....................we're off tomorrow..to Washington DC to see the Whitehouse..and to see Niagara Falls....
But...we'll be BACK...in 4 days....
Yep, we're coming back here to New York for a couple of days before head off to Chicago!
See you then xx
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
LONDON - NEW YORK!
Day 207
New York, AMERICA!!!!!!!
Talk about a gorgeous day, the day we left for New York. We woke up at 6am and packed our stuff up, as we do each time leave a place. It's funny how accustomed we've gotten to this little routine. Once we're up and showered we know what each other packs (ie Greg does the 'dilly bag' and i do the 'kettle things') and we very quietly and orderly get it done so quickly. Before we know it, we're loaded up like turtles, (lately we've been calling it our amour as we've swiped people out with these packs more than once!) and we've checked out and marching off to our next destination!
And at seven in the morning, in London, on this morning, it was so beautiful. We thought we should really be staying another day to make the most of the weather as we missed out on going up the London Eye due to the lousy weather!!
the TUBE - Victoria Station, at this hour in the morning was murderous. SO packed, due to the morning rush hour but we managed to get on the Picidilly line to Heathrow by throwing our (pack!) weight around!!
And arrived in Heathrow ready to check in for our British Airways London - New York flight. SO disorganised. It took 3 people, staff of BA to let us know where we were supposed to check in..one said Qantas as it was a Qantas ticket, the other said to do it electronically but the electronic check in said we couldn't as it was Qantas and the other said go to Line A. But it was line D we were supposed to be in!
Whinge whinge...
Anyway..we checked in and got the middle row of the plane (drats, we wanted a window seat so we could see the departure and arrival lights) and then the fun began....
I must have looked like a crim on the loose.
I got scanned as we were about to go through the terminal to board. Full body scan. Random check she said. I got told to take off my jacket and shoes (to reveal my holey socks..i MUST get some new ones) and then told to take off the next layer as well...(another jacket)..and under i only had on a camisole. Hmm..anyway i got the full scan, twisting and turning and standing in different positions in this little cubicle. Greg waited patiently for me outside.
Then we went throught the hand luggage check in. Another check. Full body search. Up down around, here, there, everywhere. My bag was scanned as usual. THEN I was told my bag had to be checked. Again. Inside all the pockets, here, there and everywhere! Greg waited patiently to the side wondering about it all. A lady said to me, "You've had a thorough going over haven't you!" Then added, "You must look suspect!~" I didn't laugh as i was feeling a bit nervous really.
And i was feeling just a little humiliated and redfaced. I know it's 'procedure' but you feel like a piece of meat..and a little violated.
We walk down the long corridor to the plane..and just as we were about to board.....i get called for ANOTHER random check!!!! Bag and body. Greg waited to the side patiently once again.
I wonder what they were looking for?
It felt like i was being targeted really. WOMEN, 45, AUSTRALIAN, CHECK HER!
I looked at my dress. Travellers pants, travellers beige jacket, Black jacket over the top, black shoes and a WILDLY COLOURED SCARFE that i bought in The Hague in Holland!! Also..my hair is a totally different colour, shape, size...than on my passport!! (As you guys would know!!!!)
I blame the scarf!
I think it made me look like a hippy!!!!
Anyway...after we got through all that we found our middle of the isle seats...me on the outside, Greg wedged in the middle with two girls on his side and we wait to fly out.
And then we had a great time.
British airways have great inflight service. Wine and nuts as a pre meal service. Lunch (cottage pie) with more wine and orange juice and water served at any time. Afternoon tea was a chicken bun and a piece of fruit cake and tea.
And inflight movies are GREAT!
I watched 3 movies....! So did Greg! All different ones. So it was all individually catered for with our little movie screens above us. I watched, "Becoming Jane" which was about Jane Austen's lifestory..."Away From Her" which was a sad movie about a couple who'd been married for fifty years and the wife got Altzeihmers and "The Flying Scotsman" about Grahem Obree and his cycling feats and sufferance of depression and Greg watched, "Fantastic 4" "Shrek" and "Becoming Jane"!
The reason why we enjoyed these movies is because we hadn't seen English movies for SO LONG!!!! It was great! But three in a flight..was a but much! haha!
We landed at the John F Kennedy airport in New York 5.30pm London Time. 7 hours after we left. Local time in New York was 5 hours behind so it was 12.30 here. Midday. We lost 5 hours..so we knew, after getting up reasonably early we were going to be tired by bed time!!!!
We also know to stick to the local time..and go to bed at the local time..to fight the jet lag, which we did.
Getting through the airport procedure at JFK airport was just as harrowing as London. (I hate flying now!)
Once again...the fact that we hadn't put our accomodation in the little box became an issue. The bigger issue was the fact that at Heathrow, someone had put in the computer system that we were going to be staying at the Rennaciance Hotel in New York and so we got questioned at Customs about this.
We said we were going to find something at the Accomodation Table at the airport if they had one..(They did) or the Tourist Centre..(They didn't) or via internet if they had one at the airport. (They didn't)
But the weird thing is..the guy said, "Look to make it easier we'll just stick with the Rennaciance" and so that's what happened.
Then he fingerprinted us (yep, they do that in the US) and he commmented about my irregular finger prints..(i'll tell you about that in Email) and we were let lose. He was pretty friendly actually. So much friendlier than his english counterpart.
And as we were walking out..the guy looked at us, our airport, the system and said, "Staying at the Rennaciance?" and we just nodded and walked through.
The thing is, why did we have to lie?
We were, in effect, forced to.
Once we got to the Accomodation Counter we felt pretty washed out really. We were glad we'd had the wine on the plane to cope with it all!! haha
The lady told us....she only had rooms available for 300 dollars upwards! I MEAN! $300 AMERCIAN????
We said...well, we want BUDGET!
"Surely you have budget?"
She pointed to another table, said, "Hostels there!" got back to her phone call she was having, and we enquired there at the 'other counter'.
As we were doing this we bumped into a New Zealand couple who wanted to chat...and who were really friendly. She said to try the hotel they were staying at. The Pennsylvania. It was two star her travel agent told her.
We thought we'd check The Other Counter first.There was a woman there that said you need to make a phone call to a few hotels she listed and then said ring 'over there' and that was that.
Phone calls were 50cents.
We had to change money to get the 50cents.
So off to the Money Changer.
She changed our English Sterling Pounds to Americal dollars and cents and said, "You can only have 4 quarters, no more!"
So we had to buy a phone card from her for US$10.
So...we had our four quarters to make two calls to find accomodation. And a ten dollar phone card that we later realised only had 20 minutes on it from a public phone box.
We made a call to the Pennsylvania, where the Kiwi couple were staying. US$399 a night for three nights then US$299 a night for the following two, excluding taxes!!
NO THANKS!
We were looking budget..about US$100 per night (which is still around 120 or so Australian).
So we called a few other places and they were all in the same price range which was just ridiculous.
The phone card ran out and we'd spent $11 ringing places.
So back to the Accomodation Counter to interrupt the woman who was still on the phone. She put the receiver down for a minute, looking absolutely pissed off that we were back again..and we told her we'd take the US$190 Airport hotel.
She finally decided to let us in on the secret and told us there were some budget hotels in an area just close to the airport that we could ring from FREE PHONE that she pointed to behind her and they would come and get us in a shuttle bus!!!
HELLO.
Why didn't she tell us that BEFORE.
So we looked at the ten or so budget hotels...rang there..and they came and got us in their shuttle bus.
So, this is where we are. In our budget hotel, for $110 a night, including taxes and breakfast and which has a HUGE double bed and MIRRORS on every wall, including the ceiling!!!!!!!!! A MASSIVE TV (as i would imagine only the US would have!) and strangely, it's only a one storey building....a motel, not a hotel.
I think it could possibly be 'one of those hotels' ...
Because, when we were checking in yesterday, this big black guy and a lady walked in...he was agitated because the girl at reception was booking us in, and then took a phone call, and he was in a hurry.....and as we were leaving the reception desk i heard the receptionist say, 'Just for one night?" and he said, "TWO HOURS THANKYOU."
hahahaha
THIS IS NEW YORK!!!!!!
We're going to the State Empire Building now...and i'll let you know how it all goes here...we're here for a week.
YAY.
A WEEK in ONE place!!!
xxx
New York, AMERICA!!!!!!!
Talk about a gorgeous day, the day we left for New York. We woke up at 6am and packed our stuff up, as we do each time leave a place. It's funny how accustomed we've gotten to this little routine. Once we're up and showered we know what each other packs (ie Greg does the 'dilly bag' and i do the 'kettle things') and we very quietly and orderly get it done so quickly. Before we know it, we're loaded up like turtles, (lately we've been calling it our amour as we've swiped people out with these packs more than once!) and we've checked out and marching off to our next destination!
And at seven in the morning, in London, on this morning, it was so beautiful. We thought we should really be staying another day to make the most of the weather as we missed out on going up the London Eye due to the lousy weather!!
the TUBE - Victoria Station, at this hour in the morning was murderous. SO packed, due to the morning rush hour but we managed to get on the Picidilly line to Heathrow by throwing our (pack!) weight around!!
And arrived in Heathrow ready to check in for our British Airways London - New York flight. SO disorganised. It took 3 people, staff of BA to let us know where we were supposed to check in..one said Qantas as it was a Qantas ticket, the other said to do it electronically but the electronic check in said we couldn't as it was Qantas and the other said go to Line A. But it was line D we were supposed to be in!
Whinge whinge...
Anyway..we checked in and got the middle row of the plane (drats, we wanted a window seat so we could see the departure and arrival lights) and then the fun began....
I must have looked like a crim on the loose.
I got scanned as we were about to go through the terminal to board. Full body scan. Random check she said. I got told to take off my jacket and shoes (to reveal my holey socks..i MUST get some new ones) and then told to take off the next layer as well...(another jacket)..and under i only had on a camisole. Hmm..anyway i got the full scan, twisting and turning and standing in different positions in this little cubicle. Greg waited patiently for me outside.
Then we went throught the hand luggage check in. Another check. Full body search. Up down around, here, there, everywhere. My bag was scanned as usual. THEN I was told my bag had to be checked. Again. Inside all the pockets, here, there and everywhere! Greg waited patiently to the side wondering about it all. A lady said to me, "You've had a thorough going over haven't you!" Then added, "You must look suspect!~" I didn't laugh as i was feeling a bit nervous really.
And i was feeling just a little humiliated and redfaced. I know it's 'procedure' but you feel like a piece of meat..and a little violated.
We walk down the long corridor to the plane..and just as we were about to board.....i get called for ANOTHER random check!!!! Bag and body. Greg waited to the side patiently once again.
I wonder what they were looking for?
It felt like i was being targeted really. WOMEN, 45, AUSTRALIAN, CHECK HER!
I looked at my dress. Travellers pants, travellers beige jacket, Black jacket over the top, black shoes and a WILDLY COLOURED SCARFE that i bought in The Hague in Holland!! Also..my hair is a totally different colour, shape, size...than on my passport!! (As you guys would know!!!!)
I blame the scarf!
I think it made me look like a hippy!!!!
Anyway...after we got through all that we found our middle of the isle seats...me on the outside, Greg wedged in the middle with two girls on his side and we wait to fly out.
And then we had a great time.
British airways have great inflight service. Wine and nuts as a pre meal service. Lunch (cottage pie) with more wine and orange juice and water served at any time. Afternoon tea was a chicken bun and a piece of fruit cake and tea.
And inflight movies are GREAT!
I watched 3 movies....! So did Greg! All different ones. So it was all individually catered for with our little movie screens above us. I watched, "Becoming Jane" which was about Jane Austen's lifestory..."Away From Her" which was a sad movie about a couple who'd been married for fifty years and the wife got Altzeihmers and "The Flying Scotsman" about Grahem Obree and his cycling feats and sufferance of depression and Greg watched, "Fantastic 4" "Shrek" and "Becoming Jane"!
The reason why we enjoyed these movies is because we hadn't seen English movies for SO LONG!!!! It was great! But three in a flight..was a but much! haha!
We landed at the John F Kennedy airport in New York 5.30pm London Time. 7 hours after we left. Local time in New York was 5 hours behind so it was 12.30 here. Midday. We lost 5 hours..so we knew, after getting up reasonably early we were going to be tired by bed time!!!!
We also know to stick to the local time..and go to bed at the local time..to fight the jet lag, which we did.
Getting through the airport procedure at JFK airport was just as harrowing as London. (I hate flying now!)
Once again...the fact that we hadn't put our accomodation in the little box became an issue. The bigger issue was the fact that at Heathrow, someone had put in the computer system that we were going to be staying at the Rennaciance Hotel in New York and so we got questioned at Customs about this.
We said we were going to find something at the Accomodation Table at the airport if they had one..(They did) or the Tourist Centre..(They didn't) or via internet if they had one at the airport. (They didn't)
But the weird thing is..the guy said, "Look to make it easier we'll just stick with the Rennaciance" and so that's what happened.
Then he fingerprinted us (yep, they do that in the US) and he commmented about my irregular finger prints..(i'll tell you about that in Email) and we were let lose. He was pretty friendly actually. So much friendlier than his english counterpart.
And as we were walking out..the guy looked at us, our airport, the system and said, "Staying at the Rennaciance?" and we just nodded and walked through.
The thing is, why did we have to lie?
We were, in effect, forced to.
Once we got to the Accomodation Counter we felt pretty washed out really. We were glad we'd had the wine on the plane to cope with it all!! haha
The lady told us....she only had rooms available for 300 dollars upwards! I MEAN! $300 AMERCIAN????
We said...well, we want BUDGET!
"Surely you have budget?"
She pointed to another table, said, "Hostels there!" got back to her phone call she was having, and we enquired there at the 'other counter'.
As we were doing this we bumped into a New Zealand couple who wanted to chat...and who were really friendly. She said to try the hotel they were staying at. The Pennsylvania. It was two star her travel agent told her.
We thought we'd check The Other Counter first.There was a woman there that said you need to make a phone call to a few hotels she listed and then said ring 'over there' and that was that.
Phone calls were 50cents.
We had to change money to get the 50cents.
So off to the Money Changer.
She changed our English Sterling Pounds to Americal dollars and cents and said, "You can only have 4 quarters, no more!"
So we had to buy a phone card from her for US$10.
So...we had our four quarters to make two calls to find accomodation. And a ten dollar phone card that we later realised only had 20 minutes on it from a public phone box.
We made a call to the Pennsylvania, where the Kiwi couple were staying. US$399 a night for three nights then US$299 a night for the following two, excluding taxes!!
NO THANKS!
We were looking budget..about US$100 per night (which is still around 120 or so Australian).
So we called a few other places and they were all in the same price range which was just ridiculous.
The phone card ran out and we'd spent $11 ringing places.
So back to the Accomodation Counter to interrupt the woman who was still on the phone. She put the receiver down for a minute, looking absolutely pissed off that we were back again..and we told her we'd take the US$190 Airport hotel.
She finally decided to let us in on the secret and told us there were some budget hotels in an area just close to the airport that we could ring from FREE PHONE that she pointed to behind her and they would come and get us in a shuttle bus!!!
HELLO.
Why didn't she tell us that BEFORE.
So we looked at the ten or so budget hotels...rang there..and they came and got us in their shuttle bus.
So, this is where we are. In our budget hotel, for $110 a night, including taxes and breakfast and which has a HUGE double bed and MIRRORS on every wall, including the ceiling!!!!!!!!! A MASSIVE TV (as i would imagine only the US would have!) and strangely, it's only a one storey building....a motel, not a hotel.
I think it could possibly be 'one of those hotels' ...
Because, when we were checking in yesterday, this big black guy and a lady walked in...he was agitated because the girl at reception was booking us in, and then took a phone call, and he was in a hurry.....and as we were leaving the reception desk i heard the receptionist say, 'Just for one night?" and he said, "TWO HOURS THANKYOU."
hahahaha
THIS IS NEW YORK!!!!!!
We're going to the State Empire Building now...and i'll let you know how it all goes here...we're here for a week.
YAY.
A WEEK in ONE place!!!
xxx
PLAY IN WEST END LONDON
Night of the day of 206!
Our Last night in London!
We saw the Sound of Music at the London Palladium..which was just fantastic. The stage, and the lighting, and the sound, was better than anything i've ever seen before..including the Moulin Roug in Paris, the Phantom of the Opera in Brisbane, Cats and Les Mis in Perth, shows in Las Vegas.....
Well, let's be honest...not better, as these other plays have their own magic that's for sure...
But it was good! I think it was the atmoshere...but also the microphones that the actors (singers?) have on their lapels..whatever it was, the sound was amazing. The energy was electic..
We had such a good time!
Dinner next door at Garfunkles was great before the play, as was the wine as well..not sure what it was called, but very similar to my favourite, Amberley..chenin blanc..
It ended up being a late night...and we were having an early morning with our flight to New York being at 10am but it was worth being out..in the West End, seeing a great play..and just being there..
It was a great way to end our last night in Europe.
Tomorrow, we're off to our next continent! Our 4th. So far, we've fulfilled four of our round-the-world destinations...Asia, Africa, Europe..and now America...then South America..
Onwards we go!
xxx
Our Last night in London!
We saw the Sound of Music at the London Palladium..which was just fantastic. The stage, and the lighting, and the sound, was better than anything i've ever seen before..including the Moulin Roug in Paris, the Phantom of the Opera in Brisbane, Cats and Les Mis in Perth, shows in Las Vegas.....
Well, let's be honest...not better, as these other plays have their own magic that's for sure...
But it was good! I think it was the atmoshere...but also the microphones that the actors (singers?) have on their lapels..whatever it was, the sound was amazing. The energy was electic..
We had such a good time!
Dinner next door at Garfunkles was great before the play, as was the wine as well..not sure what it was called, but very similar to my favourite, Amberley..chenin blanc..
It ended up being a late night...and we were having an early morning with our flight to New York being at 10am but it was worth being out..in the West End, seeing a great play..and just being there..
It was a great way to end our last night in Europe.
Tomorrow, we're off to our next continent! Our 4th. So far, we've fulfilled four of our round-the-world destinations...Asia, Africa, Europe..and now America...then South America..
Onwards we go!
xxx
Monday, 24 September 2007
NOSTALGIA IN LONDON
How cool is this old pic sis? Check where it is!
Yep! Sandhurst St in Kingsbury in the old days....
Here it is today!
Greg and I went there today..to Kingsbury Station, then to Sandhurst Road...talk about the memories flooding back.
It was so weird!
I remember it all as clear as when i was there when i was 15! The train station, the shop across the road from the station that used to sell potato croquettes!
The shop isn't there anymore, it's a Kebab place so of course, we had a donor kebab and salad there for lunch. Very yummy too.
I was looking forward to walking down Berkeley Street, into Princes Street to find that old thatched house at the end of Sandhurst Road. But it's gone! Well, the house is still there but the thatched roof has gone. And that was such a vivid memory too.....
Gee, it was weird walking down the street. I spend so many hours strolling up and down and around the neighbourhood in the 6 weeks i was there while Annie was at work, and Mum was on conference!
It was a time when Annie had just returned from a safari Africa and Mum and i went to visit her. I was 15 and Annie was 21. I was so naive! I thought she was so wise! And yet, in hindsite we were both so young.
And still are...hehe (I still think Annie is so wise!)
And the most weird thing..well not weird, but it does put things in perspective now, is that Mum was YOUNGER than i am now!!
So, when i think about it, that time in London, was a time when we were ALL young!!
Talk about having a reminisce. I remembered Anne and Gary....Greg.....to me, they were such hippies!
Gee....
That was THIRTY YEARS AGO!!!
I was SO YOUNG when i was there.
And I remember my thoughts from that period as clearly as a bell. Is that scary or what!
It was fun to go back there...
The train trip there showed a lot of slums..and grafitti and the area looked harsh and run down.
The little area surrounding the street was full of cheering (must have been a football team winning around there) and the street running by the train station had lots of fast food and internet cafe's and even a subway.
Once we got to the street and i'd gotten over the loss of the thatched room on that house i really liked, it looked quite pretty and the houses were all from the same period...bay windows...and arched keyhole shaped frontages.
And all uniform..
At least that house wasn't demolished....
What a fun day!
LONDON TOWN!
Day 206
London, England
We made it back to London!!!
We left Brussells at 9pm on our very cheap British Airways flight and arrived in London at 9pm!!!!
One hour time difference. So we're now 7 hours behind WA!
And we're back to pounds..!
And although Greg whinged about coming back here....due to being harrassed at customs, (not so bad this time seeing we're heading out to the US in a couple of days!) the horrific queues at the airport, the expense, the weather blah blah blah.....
We're here and we're enjoying it!
And our accomodation isn't as expensive as last time. We got savvy. Decided to book our hotel, as we did the first time we got accomodation here, at the BHRC HOTELS at Heathrow Airport. They're so good! Anyway, it's 60 quid a night for the two nights in London before we head off to the US...which is about the cheapest out..and breakfast this morning was not so bad.
We're in a renovated university complex, with toilet and shower outside..but at least it's not £75 like last time, in that horrible accomodation we had when we had to move out of our initial London luxury accomodation..(which was the special because they were working on the hotel).
Oh yeah, forgot to say, we ended up forfeiting the accomodation at that hotel that offered us a room for 15 pound more than we had originally been quoted. And yes, i did sent the 'nasty' letter..buggar them...they shouldn't be able to just get away with saying, 'London has been going crazy this week with extra bookings so the price has gone up!' I know they do it, but not after they've already quoted a price and we've agreed on it. I felt really let down. Silly hotel. Doesn't do much for London Tourism either because you don't trust that next time a hotel won't do that. We were relying on that hotel to stay in and once they said everything was booked we got worried.
But like i said, it's better anyway to get the last minute accomodation at the BHRC HOTELS desk at Heathrow! It's been cheaper and more efficent both times in London.
The only thing is Customs don't like you arriving with no address to go to!
Okies...so now we're off to finish what we didn't before...
To see the old place i stayed when i was here with Mum and where Annie lived in 1977 (Annies old London house) and to the London Eye....(hopefully, if this rainy english weather clears up!) and to see a West End play.
And of course, we need to be fattened up, we're skinny pinny's now...having lost weight with all the EXTREMELY healthy eating and food in Northern Europe!!!! And London is the place to do it..if i recall, England is where we put on a few kilo's eariler in the trip! haha!
Will let you know how it goes....
Lots of love and hugs.....
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PS Good to catch up on all the blogs..we couldn't get internet in Amsterdam!
London, England
We made it back to London!!!
We left Brussells at 9pm on our very cheap British Airways flight and arrived in London at 9pm!!!!
One hour time difference. So we're now 7 hours behind WA!
And we're back to pounds..!
And although Greg whinged about coming back here....due to being harrassed at customs, (not so bad this time seeing we're heading out to the US in a couple of days!) the horrific queues at the airport, the expense, the weather blah blah blah.....
We're here and we're enjoying it!
And our accomodation isn't as expensive as last time. We got savvy. Decided to book our hotel, as we did the first time we got accomodation here, at the BHRC HOTELS at Heathrow Airport. They're so good! Anyway, it's 60 quid a night for the two nights in London before we head off to the US...which is about the cheapest out..and breakfast this morning was not so bad.
We're in a renovated university complex, with toilet and shower outside..but at least it's not £75 like last time, in that horrible accomodation we had when we had to move out of our initial London luxury accomodation..(which was the special because they were working on the hotel).
Oh yeah, forgot to say, we ended up forfeiting the accomodation at that hotel that offered us a room for 15 pound more than we had originally been quoted. And yes, i did sent the 'nasty' letter..buggar them...they shouldn't be able to just get away with saying, 'London has been going crazy this week with extra bookings so the price has gone up!' I know they do it, but not after they've already quoted a price and we've agreed on it. I felt really let down. Silly hotel. Doesn't do much for London Tourism either because you don't trust that next time a hotel won't do that. We were relying on that hotel to stay in and once they said everything was booked we got worried.
But like i said, it's better anyway to get the last minute accomodation at the BHRC HOTELS desk at Heathrow! It's been cheaper and more efficent both times in London.
The only thing is Customs don't like you arriving with no address to go to!
Okies...so now we're off to finish what we didn't before...
To see the old place i stayed when i was here with Mum and where Annie lived in 1977 (Annies old London house) and to the London Eye....(hopefully, if this rainy english weather clears up!) and to see a West End play.
And of course, we need to be fattened up, we're skinny pinny's now...having lost weight with all the EXTREMELY healthy eating and food in Northern Europe!!!! And London is the place to do it..if i recall, England is where we put on a few kilo's eariler in the trip! haha!
Will let you know how it goes....
Lots of love and hugs.....
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PS Good to catch up on all the blogs..we couldn't get internet in Amsterdam!
BRUGGE BELGIUM
Canals in Brugge
Day 205
Brugge
Well, yes! It was definitely worth going to Brugge!!!
Once we got off the train, finally, we went to our usual 'first stop' and headed for the Brugge Tourist Centre. And the accomodation was FANTASTIC!
After paying an absolute fortune in Northern Europe...and in Holland....we got a B&B in Brugge for a pittance. With a wonderful Belgian couple..on a canal.
SO WE WERE HAPPY AGAIN!
Oh, it had a double bed too!!!
No kidding.....until then, we had all twin beds...and falling down the crack was becoming a joke! haha!
Brugge is so beautiful at night.
Originally we were only going to have a day here..BUT WE ARE SO GLAD TO HAVE THE NIGHT in this romantic beautiful place.
After we checked into our B&B we headed for this beautiful restaurant right on the canal. (Brugge looked a lot like Gouda to be honest!) The restaurant, called DUPHARWEST captured our eye because it was outdoors...looked cosy and popular..and it was a warm beautiful night.
We were so lucky to have a cloudless sky and it was warm. Very romantic!
Some of the dishes on the menu were hilarous. Kangaroo steaks and Antelope stew. We opted for Vegetarian wok (which was hot and spicy and yummy!) and beef with Duvel Beer.
After dinner we walked into central Brugge which was about 3km away....and it was all lit up and the buildings looked so beautiful, a bit like the Brussells Square. Belgium has such lovely buildings.
There were shops full of chocolates..and different beers..and laces..and horse drawn carts were moving about...so beautiful.
The next day we experienced a HUGE Brugge market...which had everything from dead foxes to coronation memorabilia..to deer heads..to ornaments and furniture. IT's the biggest market i've ever seen and it stretched the length of Brugge central.
Which made trains out of Brugge impossible. There were literally THOUSANDS waiting for various trains...
But we won't go into the chaotic Belgian TRAINS again!
However, we did go all the way to Brussells in an overcrowed, two carriage (WHY only two carriages when it was so crowded???) and had to sit midway between the carriages because there were no seats................
Ohh.
But...anyway, our last night in Europe..was spent in a beautiful place.
We reminisced as sat at the Brussells airport, ate Belgian chocolates...and french fries and had our toast to Europe!
OFF TO LONDON NOW!!!!!
BACK TO BELGIUM!
Day 204
Brugge, Belgium
From Amsterdam we headed off to Brugge! We'd heard it was THE PLACE to see in Belgium and we didn't get a chance to see it when we were last in Belgium so...we bought tickets from Amsterdam to Brugge.
It turned out we had to go via Antwerp to get there..and we ended up staying a few hours in Antwerp because of the rail problems. We're not sure why, but all the trains were delayed or slow in and out of Antwerp.
The train to Antwerp delayed us by 3 hours..and the train to Brugge should have taken an hour, as we were told at the ticket office, but it took 21/2 hours!
So....we were VERY TIRED and disgrunted to say the least...
But..we did have a lovely lunch at THE ROYAL CAFE in Antwerpen Train station. Gosh, talk about grandiose. SO much gold!!! At least that made us happy for a while.
We arrived in Brugge in the evening..once again with no accomodation....and if you look at the pics of us under the sign at Brugge it will say it all.
NOT HAPPY JAN.
Due to this we had to cancel our meeting the next day with our Antwerpen friends, due to the feeling we wouldn't make it to the airport in Brussels in time for our flight to London. We booked a direct ticket to Brussells instead of veering off in Anterp again.
There must have been rail strikes. From what we could gather, all the Belgian train stations were doing HUGE renovations. All the train stations are in chaos. And a huge mess. The trains are slow, old and cumbersome and there is no english on the train at all.
At one stage...midway to Brugge...the train just STOPPED. IN the tracks on the edge of a station and everyone started disembarking. Greg said..we don't move, this is NOT our stop.
And once everyone was off..and one of the last couples told us there was trouble so we had to get off and change trains, we did....
Geepers. Talkabout miscommunication.
We were wondering why we bothered to even go to Brugge!
Was it worth it????????
Brugge, Belgium
From Amsterdam we headed off to Brugge! We'd heard it was THE PLACE to see in Belgium and we didn't get a chance to see it when we were last in Belgium so...we bought tickets from Amsterdam to Brugge.
It turned out we had to go via Antwerp to get there..and we ended up staying a few hours in Antwerp because of the rail problems. We're not sure why, but all the trains were delayed or slow in and out of Antwerp.
The train to Antwerp delayed us by 3 hours..and the train to Brugge should have taken an hour, as we were told at the ticket office, but it took 21/2 hours!
So....we were VERY TIRED and disgrunted to say the least...
But..we did have a lovely lunch at THE ROYAL CAFE in Antwerpen Train station. Gosh, talk about grandiose. SO much gold!!! At least that made us happy for a while.
We arrived in Brugge in the evening..once again with no accomodation....and if you look at the pics of us under the sign at Brugge it will say it all.
NOT HAPPY JAN.
Due to this we had to cancel our meeting the next day with our Antwerpen friends, due to the feeling we wouldn't make it to the airport in Brussels in time for our flight to London. We booked a direct ticket to Brussells instead of veering off in Anterp again.
There must have been rail strikes. From what we could gather, all the Belgian train stations were doing HUGE renovations. All the train stations are in chaos. And a huge mess. The trains are slow, old and cumbersome and there is no english on the train at all.
At one stage...midway to Brugge...the train just STOPPED. IN the tracks on the edge of a station and everyone started disembarking. Greg said..we don't move, this is NOT our stop.
And once everyone was off..and one of the last couples told us there was trouble so we had to get off and change trains, we did....
Geepers. Talkabout miscommunication.
We were wondering why we bothered to even go to Brugge!
Was it worth it????????
THE HAGUE, GOUDA - For you sis
The Canals in Gouda!
THE HAGUE, GOUDA, HOLLAND
For you sissy...
To get to The Hague and then Gouda, we had to take a train out of Amsterdam as it about an hour away..
So we decided to make a day of it..and reminisce on Annie's behalf.
Even just sitting on the train to The Hague and looking out the window at the bicycles, the windmills, the tulip fields...the scenery....had me reflecting on what Annie had told me about Holland all those years ago....
My sister Annie lived here, in Gouda, in a house called RAAM 68. I'd heard all the stories, about the people she lived with, the house, her experiences, the hells angels....Mirjiam, Lorna, Potter, Norman..
And now i was going to go to where she lived.
And feel what she felt.
Or at least get a bit of a feel about the place.
First of all we went to the Hague. Den Haag the Dutch call it. We got out of the station and looked at the maps and around at the Hague. It wasn't what i expected.
In a way it was industrialised and not as quaint and gorgeous as i had expected it.
I asked at the Tourist centre if they knew of a pub called the Carte Blanche. They were really helpful and looked it up on the internet but no Carte Blanche could be found. Perhaps they were looking for a hotel we decided later, and not a small pub that i knew it to be from Annie's descriptions.
We got a map and walked around the Hague and found it got more beautiful as we veered away from the train station. Some places have the whole hive of activity right there, in the hub, around the station, but the Hague was deeper than that.
And the further we ventured the more artistic and 'Dutch' it felt. I don't know why, but by Dutch, i mean creative and colourful and free and almost spiritual.
There were Heineken signs and Amstel beer signs all over the place, displaying the pub culture so we decided to venture into one of these places after feeling a bit despondent because we hadn't really found any familiar...the names of places where Annie worked...Lummus nederland and armaco...
The pub we found was called Nderaar. It sold Amstel beer and so we sat on a little elevated table with two stools and soaked up the atmoshere. The table looked a bit like a beer barrel. It was warm and friendly and had lots of old bottles and colourful old pictures on the wall.
Photos tell the story so we got the camera out to take pictures and the gorgeous barmaid, with her Dutch accent said, 'I take picture of two of you'. SO there we were, perched, once again with our beers in our photos! Honestly this has almost become our call song...our statement...us with a beer!!
She was quite talkative too...telling us about Holland's pubs..and how each pub can only sell one beer. We were in an Amstel pub so we drank Amstel. But in a Heniken Pub you drink Heneiken! Heneiken is the 'National' beer of Holland!! When i told her i thought it was a German beer she said, 'Don't tell the Dutch people THAT!'
When we asked if she knew whether the Carte Blanche was in THe Hague or in Gouda....she just said that was a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACE!
So...we thought we'd better not get settled in...and we'd better get to Gouda or we'll end up staying there the night. The last train out of Gouda, we were told when we bought the tickets, was 10pm.
I bought a colourful arty scarf in The Hague..which reminded me of Annie....as it started getting colder than we had dressed for..and headed off on our half hour trip to Gouda.
More relflection.
On the way from the Hague to Gouda i was thinking...gee, this is the trip that Annie did from work every day.
When i used to envision her in Gouda, when i was in my teens....she in her twenties, it seemed so far away. So distant. ANother land, another country. And yet, he i was, right there...looking out at scenery she would have looked out at...
It made it all the frustrating because i was trying to message her on my mobile and couldn't get through. Grr. At one stage, we were sitting on the train, just about approaching Gouda station and i got a message from her! Saying she was sitting in the mall in Brisbane thinking of us!!!! We were VERY MUCH thinking of her.
Must have been reading each other's thoughts.
But why coudn't i text back. Ended up texting mum and couldn't get through there until really late. I'm sure i woke her up.
And as the night progressed...i wanted to text even more because the night revealed changes in Gouda.
It was funny when we got off the station in Gouda. We were like kids going to find treasure. Where was Raam 68. Where was Komijnsteeg 57. Where was the Carte Blanche.
Come hell or high water. We were going to find these places and report back to Annie what we had found.
We took photos of the huge map in the centre of the town because after asking at the Railway Station (advice from Annie) the guy, who looked younger than Sam, said, ' The Raam, I've heard of that!!' Geepers..we thought, well obviously it's a remote little street, how will we find it. And it had just gone 6pm and we didn't have a map. He told us to ask in the square where all the pubs were situated in a circle.
So we went about asking...where's the Raam, where's the Carte Blanche. Eventually a gorgeous young chef came to help us and even walked into the square with us telling us where we could find the long street named the Raam.
We walked towards where we thought his directions would lead us to the street and got a bit sidetracked because honestly Gouda is the most gorgeous scenic canal town and we were just blown away by the .. quaintnes for want of a better word. It was just SO COBBLY..and had little narrow streets with little A framed houses that looked like they had smiles on their faces. So colourful and bright, yet old and worn as if they held secrets.
Some of the little canals had obviously not been touched because they were green with mildew. We saw a row of ducks floating through with their beaks ducking in and out of the green water making little tiny streams behind them....
THe names were all Straats..or steegs...then to our excitement we found RAAM.
And we were filled with joy. And nostalgia, on Annie's behalf.
It is a long street.
We followed it down..in awe almost. Because the buildings looked as if they were waiting for us. People were on their bicycles going home....the sky was still blue and yet almost ready to go down, the air was fresh.
And we were about to find Raam 68. The house where IT ALL WENT ON. (You'll have to read the book Annie is writing to find out more about this!)
The right side had high numbers, all odd, leading down...157, 155...
The right side had lower numbers going down...86,94
Where was Raam 68?
We found a shop...Raam 62.
And a large vacant block of land.
We checked either side of the land.....all numbers BUT Raam 68.
It had been demolished.
I was in shock. And didn't realise i'd feel this as keenly as i did. It was a real blow. I felt sad for Annie that the house she'd lived in was no longer. I felt grief for a few moments and became tearful.
I SO wanted to see where she lived.
And it wasn't to be......
I grabbed a girl as she walked outside the not there anymore house....in amost a desperation, and asked her where the house was. She said she'd lived in the area for a year and it was vacant when she arrived.
We walked around the neighbourhood for a long time. We walked the streets where we knew she walked, to the train station. It was alike a journey from long ago, but one we didn't take. It was another person's journey and yet i felt it were my own as the memories she'd implanted in my imagination were acute.
We found the little canal close by..and the beautiful windmill as well. There were boats parked in the canal with 'Gouda' written on them. We took a lot of pictures....
And then went back and knocked on the shop next door. It was closed but we had to know what happened.....
The heard the old man came clumsily down the stairs and open the door...and thankfully he was talkative. We were hoping he wouldn't be cranky for banging on his door at this time....which was about 7.30pm by then..
And he said the houses there were condemmed and were demolished about 3 years ago....
He said it was changing in the area...
And so we found out about all were going going to find out..and had one last look down the street, up the street, and all around the streets and stared searching for Komijnsteeg but it was getting late, no one could help us...and apart from greeting all the cats in the area, we knew we weren't going to find that street unless we knew exactly where it was situated...so we headed off to find something to eat because we were starving!
We realised we hadn't eaten lunch! So absorbed in finding these places of my sister.
The Carte Blanche seemed like a place we just were not going to find in Gouda this time.
And as we were walking we saw a couple of tired little cafes that were deserted and looked unapetising..
Until...On Grownendaal Street, about 50 metres from the Raam, we came across a little spanish cafe called TAPAS. It was bursting at the seams....so, thinking it must be THE place in town, we entered and hoped to find a table.
It was absolultely the BEST FOOD we'd eaten in ages!! Pesto dip with a great bottle of recommended local wine...Fresh, fresh food...Fresh chicken...fresh veges...SO NICE!
The atmosphere was magical. And after a really emotional day..and feeling disappointed for Annie....we enjoyed this dinner and thought she would enjoy this should she come back here.
This is it, the Tapas Restaurant!
Our last train to Amsterdam from Gouda was leaving at 10...
So, in a last gasp, at 9pm we set off to ask at some more pubs as to the whereabouts of the CARTE BLANCHE!!
AND...by the stroke of good luck, at a pub called, Pyramide we came across a barman that looked about the vintage we were looking for and he KNEW THE NAME!!!
He said it was now a restaurant called, 'DE BEHRSKLOK'
And he wrote the directions on a little beer coaster for us! (just looked like a series of scribbles ..we laughed at that!) and yes, he remembered it was the Carte Blanche.
So off we headed. To find this pub!
And there it was..on the corner of these two little cobblestone crossroads. In very, very small writing...De Behrsklok. We could hardly see that..but we did see the BIG WRITING which was, 'JARDAN JAN'. Which, of course, is the beer it sells!! It seems the name of the beer is what is in lights!
In we go...............
And it had obviously been refurbished.
We orded the local beer at the bar which is still there..and peered around the place and saw the restaurant that is in a little cove area. We asked a few questions of the guy behind the bar and he said, 'She will remember!'
And so the girl waitress came over to us and said she did remember the Carte Blanche. I did wonder...she looked VERY YOUNG!!
Anyway...she said it changed names about 12 years ago...and had remained empty for about 6 months before they started refurbishing. She showed us where the roof was really low and where the 'swimming table' was! (pool table!) She said she was 24.....
We told her it was my sister's old haunt...(I think she thought i was literally talking double dutch) and that she lived here..and she was interested in that..and the fact that she was writing a book....
But it was getting very busy in the restaurant and we couldn't continue the conversation and so i wasn't able go into depth about her history there..but she must have been a girl when it was like that.
I asked her about the 'Hells Angels;' and she laughed and said they were bikers!
We imagined she must have known someone from back then..or being a daughter of someone or the owners or something...
She was busy waiting on tables...and the guy then told us there were old black and white photos in the restaurant if we wanted to look...
So we did. And took pics for Annie to see if she could identify any familiar faces....
And then...
IT WAS TIME TO RUN!
ANd run we did...all the way to the train station, dodging the million bicycles outside, to catch the last train back to Amsterdam!
And that was Gouda.
Quite a revelation.
And a 'going back in time' for Annie.
I'm so glad we went there...it filled in a lot of gaps i've had about Gouda..and all the stories i've heard..and it gave me a little more of a glimse of the life my beautiful sister led, all those years ago...
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Day 201 - 203
Amsterdam, Holland
Catching the train to Amsterdam in the afternoon at 12.45pm and arrived at 3.15pm...and as soon as we arrived we thought, yes we're in Holland! It had a really nice feel about it..i'd heard so much about this place from Annie and all about the years that she lived here so it just confirmed, that yes, it was all that she said. A creative, alternative country.
And the smells confirmed it too.....at the tram stop we could smell marijuana haha! And thereafter, wafts of it hung in the air.......
Once again, we checked in at the tourist office for accomodation and they said a conference was on...so prices were high at the moment! (Is this just an excuse to put all the prices up???? It's such a familiar comment, everywhere we go!)
We ended up finding a place called the KAP for a night and we decided we'd just search for something else later on. We were planning on staying 3 days which didn't really seem enough time at all! (And wasn't!)
The stairs at the KAP were so STEEP! I counted them in the end......there were 51 winding steep stairs that we decided was really a ladder! NO joke...steep alright. And when you're carrying a front pack AND a backpack it's not funny!
The next place we stayed, which was a place we found just down the street, called The Hotel Asterisk, was the same!!! We questioned reception about this and they said it was pretty typcial and the stairs saved space when they were building in the old days......i'd say that's why they're pretty fit looking as well....(altho dazed..hehe)
Amsterdam is such a cultural centre. We really loved it. Especially the museums....to see the famous Dutch Painters.
The Rembrandt Museum was just down the road..as was the Van Gough museum....We felt spoilt..fancy seeing the works of both of these incredible artists. Vincent Van Gough is a personal favourite of both of ours.
We spent a whole day looking at their work! We learned so much about both of the artists...and a lot about Vincent Van Gough as he kept quite a comprehensive diary and wrote a lot of letters to his brother Theo (who was his art dealer). He was only 37 when he died and only spent 5 years truly building and developing his work. He was depressive and ended up shooting himself. We saw the last painting he ever painted and i cried. The story on the audio was so sad.
Another thing we learned was Van Gough cut off his ear after a tempestous argument with Gaugauin, an artist that Van Gough loved and admired and whom he wanted to start an art haven with...!!!
There was a whole intersting story to that.....
The things you learn......
Went to the Dentist here in Amsterdam....crikey, horrible experience..and still have a loose tooth...long story.....
We also went to Anne Franks House as well which was a revelation. I read the book when i was a teenager and always wanted to see the Annexe where she lived for that two years as a captive jew under the Nazi regime..and it was so depressing...yet so uplifting. SHe had over 300 pages of writing plus 3 diaries..so much more than i realised .. and i was so tempted to buy the critical version of ALL Her work..just to get the whole story as the original diary was very much edited when her father (the only survivor of 8 that were in hiding) published it after the war ended in 1947...
Such a story. So sad...yet as a quote by Mandella said when he read her book while in Robben Island prison...she was one voice that truly made a difference.
This is the Otto Ware house. And the annexe where Anne Frank and her family were in hiding for 2 years. It's just over the road from the canal and she was in hiding in the annexe out the back (it's the one that has the blue frontage, next door to the house where the steps are)
OK. Onto other Dutch things...
While in HOlland...do what the Dutch do....
So we decided to go one level down from actually trying...and visited the Hashish and Marijuana museum! haha......
Here it is!
And it was so interesting. I took heaps of photos for you mum.....some incredible hemp products there to be seen. Especially the home spun rugs!!!!
We went to the RED LIGHT DISTRICT..........and i tell ya.....the are so many girls trying to accost the boys.......all in doorways, illuminated..begging for business. And yet, somehow, it didn't look as seedy as i thought it would. Just girls going about their business. And very beautiful girls at that. At one stage, while we were looking over the road at these girls (well i was, Greg has lost his lens to his glasses so he couldn't see!!! hahaha) were yelling at a couple of guys in front of us telling them to stop taking photos. Drats. Cos we wanted to take some of the street and didn't...so lit up. And SO many girls. I wonder how they sustain their business to be honest............
The canals were amazing in Amsterdam...the people were friendly..the whole place was creative and wonderful....
Like i said, we needed more time...
But we found a day for The Hague and Gouda....
Amsterdam, Holland
Catching the train to Amsterdam in the afternoon at 12.45pm and arrived at 3.15pm...and as soon as we arrived we thought, yes we're in Holland! It had a really nice feel about it..i'd heard so much about this place from Annie and all about the years that she lived here so it just confirmed, that yes, it was all that she said. A creative, alternative country.
And the smells confirmed it too.....at the tram stop we could smell marijuana haha! And thereafter, wafts of it hung in the air.......
Once again, we checked in at the tourist office for accomodation and they said a conference was on...so prices were high at the moment! (Is this just an excuse to put all the prices up???? It's such a familiar comment, everywhere we go!)
We ended up finding a place called the KAP for a night and we decided we'd just search for something else later on. We were planning on staying 3 days which didn't really seem enough time at all! (And wasn't!)
The stairs at the KAP were so STEEP! I counted them in the end......there were 51 winding steep stairs that we decided was really a ladder! NO joke...steep alright. And when you're carrying a front pack AND a backpack it's not funny!
The next place we stayed, which was a place we found just down the street, called The Hotel Asterisk, was the same!!! We questioned reception about this and they said it was pretty typcial and the stairs saved space when they were building in the old days......i'd say that's why they're pretty fit looking as well....(altho dazed..hehe)
Amsterdam is such a cultural centre. We really loved it. Especially the museums....to see the famous Dutch Painters.
The Rembrandt Museum was just down the road..as was the Van Gough museum....We felt spoilt..fancy seeing the works of both of these incredible artists. Vincent Van Gough is a personal favourite of both of ours.
We spent a whole day looking at their work! We learned so much about both of the artists...and a lot about Vincent Van Gough as he kept quite a comprehensive diary and wrote a lot of letters to his brother Theo (who was his art dealer). He was only 37 when he died and only spent 5 years truly building and developing his work. He was depressive and ended up shooting himself. We saw the last painting he ever painted and i cried. The story on the audio was so sad.
Another thing we learned was Van Gough cut off his ear after a tempestous argument with Gaugauin, an artist that Van Gough loved and admired and whom he wanted to start an art haven with...!!!
There was a whole intersting story to that.....
The things you learn......
Went to the Dentist here in Amsterdam....crikey, horrible experience..and still have a loose tooth...long story.....
We also went to Anne Franks House as well which was a revelation. I read the book when i was a teenager and always wanted to see the Annexe where she lived for that two years as a captive jew under the Nazi regime..and it was so depressing...yet so uplifting. SHe had over 300 pages of writing plus 3 diaries..so much more than i realised .. and i was so tempted to buy the critical version of ALL Her work..just to get the whole story as the original diary was very much edited when her father (the only survivor of 8 that were in hiding) published it after the war ended in 1947...
Such a story. So sad...yet as a quote by Mandella said when he read her book while in Robben Island prison...she was one voice that truly made a difference.
This is the Otto Ware house. And the annexe where Anne Frank and her family were in hiding for 2 years. It's just over the road from the canal and she was in hiding in the annexe out the back (it's the one that has the blue frontage, next door to the house where the steps are)
OK. Onto other Dutch things...
While in HOlland...do what the Dutch do....
So we decided to go one level down from actually trying...and visited the Hashish and Marijuana museum! haha......
Here it is!
And it was so interesting. I took heaps of photos for you mum.....some incredible hemp products there to be seen. Especially the home spun rugs!!!!
We went to the RED LIGHT DISTRICT..........and i tell ya.....the are so many girls trying to accost the boys.......all in doorways, illuminated..begging for business. And yet, somehow, it didn't look as seedy as i thought it would. Just girls going about their business. And very beautiful girls at that. At one stage, while we were looking over the road at these girls (well i was, Greg has lost his lens to his glasses so he couldn't see!!! hahaha) were yelling at a couple of guys in front of us telling them to stop taking photos. Drats. Cos we wanted to take some of the street and didn't...so lit up. And SO many girls. I wonder how they sustain their business to be honest............
The canals were amazing in Amsterdam...the people were friendly..the whole place was creative and wonderful....
Like i said, we needed more time...
But we found a day for The Hague and Gouda....
COLOGNE, GERMANY
Day 200 - 201
After spending the day mooching around Koblenz and having coffee's at as manz cafe's a we could to fill in time before we hoppped on the ferry to Cologne we finally arrived..and yes, more problems with the tickets on the second leg to Cologne! But we finally got that sorted out...crikey, anyone would think we were trying to get a free ride!!
The ferry lunch was beautiful though, on both legs...cruising the Rhine, drinking wine, eating...so lovely. The castles are truly maginificant that's for sure!
The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Cologne was the incredible cathedral there..so MASSIVE! Apparently this is the cathedral where the THREE WISE MEN are enshrined.......not sure how much i believe stuff like that though..i mean, how long can a person's remains last in a shrine......hehe
But! THe cathedral is fantastic! IT just stares out at you when you arrive...we arrived at the port and THERE IT WAS...and then when we left on the train, THERE IT WAS! So massive...ornate and just incredible. We've seen some cathedrals but i think this takes the cake!
We found a hotel here, called the GOOD SLEEP HOTEL near the central station on the fourth floor. The people at the tourist centre said there was a fair going on and accomodation was all around the 200 euros...but we found this one, cheaper, and pretty close to the centre. So i think it just takes a bit of mooching around to find something suitable!
Before we left Cologne we took a city tour bus..which was pretty crap and a waste of money..some of these tours are really good. This one was ridiculous..the only exciting part of it was when they were talking about when the witches got burned in the centre of the town...then it was back to just pointing out obvious buildings...!
Off to Amsterdam tomorrow..and REALLY looking forward to it!
xx
PS I forgot to mention that while we were on the Rhine we went passed the bridge that the Germans preserved as a rememberance for 7th March 1945 when the "Americans freed them!" Interesting concept, that the Americans freed Germany. We understand it to mean that Germany was liberated from Hitler's Rule which freed them from his rule.
Another comment they made on the tour was that Hitler always claimed the Autobahn as his 'baby' and creation. But it wasn't! And the Germans want that quite clear! IT was the Mayor of the time, Konrad Adenauer, who created it! Building started in 1929 and completed in 1932, ONE YEAR BEFORE Hitler came to rule!
After spending the day mooching around Koblenz and having coffee's at as manz cafe's a we could to fill in time before we hoppped on the ferry to Cologne we finally arrived..and yes, more problems with the tickets on the second leg to Cologne! But we finally got that sorted out...crikey, anyone would think we were trying to get a free ride!!
The ferry lunch was beautiful though, on both legs...cruising the Rhine, drinking wine, eating...so lovely. The castles are truly maginificant that's for sure!
The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Cologne was the incredible cathedral there..so MASSIVE! Apparently this is the cathedral where the THREE WISE MEN are enshrined.......not sure how much i believe stuff like that though..i mean, how long can a person's remains last in a shrine......hehe
But! THe cathedral is fantastic! IT just stares out at you when you arrive...we arrived at the port and THERE IT WAS...and then when we left on the train, THERE IT WAS! So massive...ornate and just incredible. We've seen some cathedrals but i think this takes the cake!
We found a hotel here, called the GOOD SLEEP HOTEL near the central station on the fourth floor. The people at the tourist centre said there was a fair going on and accomodation was all around the 200 euros...but we found this one, cheaper, and pretty close to the centre. So i think it just takes a bit of mooching around to find something suitable!
Before we left Cologne we took a city tour bus..which was pretty crap and a waste of money..some of these tours are really good. This one was ridiculous..the only exciting part of it was when they were talking about when the witches got burned in the centre of the town...then it was back to just pointing out obvious buildings...!
Off to Amsterdam tomorrow..and REALLY looking forward to it!
xx
PS I forgot to mention that while we were on the Rhine we went passed the bridge that the Germans preserved as a rememberance for 7th March 1945 when the "Americans freed them!" Interesting concept, that the Americans freed Germany. We understand it to mean that Germany was liberated from Hitler's Rule which freed them from his rule.
Another comment they made on the tour was that Hitler always claimed the Autobahn as his 'baby' and creation. But it wasn't! And the Germans want that quite clear! IT was the Mayor of the time, Konrad Adenauer, who created it! Building started in 1929 and completed in 1932, ONE YEAR BEFORE Hitler came to rule!
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
CRUISING THE RHINE TO KOBLENZ, GERMANY
Beautiful place eh?
Day 200 (Wow! DAY TWO HUNDRED!!!!)
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Heard on CNN tonight that there was a fatal plane crash in Phuket, Thailand..Are there any Australians involved?
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Koblenz, Germany
What a day it's been!
We're in Koblenz!
And how we got here was....
After going for our walk around Frankfurter we went to the main train station and organised our train ticket to Mainz and ferrz ticket to Cologne...
So we caught the midmorning train from Frankfuter to Mainz...
Then once we got there, we caught a taxi for 8 euro's to the ferry (it's so easy getting a taxi after all our usual walking or navigating ourselves on busses and trains!!!) and then waited for the scheduled 11.30am ferry...
Which was late!
And our tickets stuffed them around because we bought them at the train station and not the ferry terminal so they got confused.....
Which is when we started wondering where all the lateral thinking and organisation was.....etcetc (we got pissed off basically as we were getting tired of travelling and conducters looking at tickets like the eurail and getting confused!)
The guy told us to leave.
We held our ground and stayed ON.
Management was called...blah blah blah...words were spoken...we said loudly how we'd paid 48.50 euro EACH for our tickets and we were going to go from Mainz to Cologne with them! LIKE IT OR NOT. Greg was NOT budging! We paid and we're going. Gee we're getting assertive.
So..on we got..with everyone looking.....us screaming all the way....people cheering, clapping at the show....(hehe not really, that just sounded good! But it was close!)
The Route we took!
We settled down on top of the ferry to gaze at some of the best scenery on the Rhine River...SO SO Gorgeous.....all was almost forgotten...
Until Greg got summonsed to the management again......not me, just GREG! To talk about bloody tickets...I would have gone along but i stayed with our luggage.
It got more and more relaxed as we cruised further along the Rhine, looking at the fortresses, castles, vineyards...
Greg finally came back. All sorted after he negotiated his way around the small problem. Which they were still dubious about. It must have been the first time someone had made a booking for the ferry at the train station! And it sounded like Greg handled it beautifully, explaining it all, reading the small print....convincing them they were ignorant of their own system.
But after that.....
We sampled the ferry food (delicious) and drank the region's beautiful red wine. (also delicious!) and admired the view, which i might add, is on UNESCO's world heritage site.
We changed ferries in Rudesheim to another bigger boat (which they called a ship) and merrily cruised further along the upper Rhine...soo beautiful....
This trip is so worth going on. So put it in your 'To Do's'!
All the hassles of getting on the boat..and then again when we changed ferries in Rudesheim was forgotten....
Until, we were told we couldn't go all the way to Cologne...we had to get off at Koblenz..
Which is where we are now!!
We got new tickets in the end so there will be no confusion!
So...we finish our ferry leg on the Rhine River tomorrow....when we go to Cologne, then we'll be training it to Amsterdam! And we have to start paying...no eurail, gosh, i hope we don't forget!!!
Life is so exciting life isn't it?
The hotel where we are now, is really nice.
We got it through the Tourist Office here in Koblenz.
That's one thing, Germany has the BEST tourist offices. They're so helpful and don't charge commission on booking a hotel.
This hotel also has free internet..so, as you can see by my blog updates...i'm making good use of!
But now....have to write a nasty letter to London because the buggars have renegged on a booking we made there due to 'London going crazy over the past week with all the bookings to their website!'
To me, that doesn't give them a good reason to go ahead and ask us to pay an extra 15 POUNDS per night! (And from my previous complaints before you will know the pound is outrageous...and for every pound we pay $2.50!)
Grrrrrr........
My LEO Savage is going to come out when i reply and tell them just how unethical i think they are being..........................
I'm off to bed now....we have the morning to explore then we're off again...
Nighties, see you in The Netherlands....:-)
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Day 199
Frankfurt (locals call it Frankfuter and Hamburger!)
We caught the 4.26pm train from Hamburg to Frankfurt and arrived with no accomodation, once again, and found it more difficult to secure anything! There was as Alto Car Show going on...so hotels were booked out! How many times has that happened?
We ended up finding a gorgeous hotel called the Atlantic at about 9pm which was above our budget but it was nice!!!
A nice hotel every now and again is like a holiday! We jumped on the bed and laughed like kids.....it's the little things that make us happy these days...a comfy bed, a toilet and shower in the room...geepers...I feel like an alley cat sometimes!
We did what we do...and took off after we dumped our stuff..and orientated ourselves! I tell you, it doesn't take long for us to do that these days..we know where to head for..and what to do.....go to the local beir garten in Germany! haha.....Only this time we had orange juice....long day tomorrow....
And we wanted to get up early and go for a walk in the city before heading off again...
Go, go, go at the moment...
By the way Frankfuter is just so...GERMANY!!!
And we love Germany!
HAMBURG, GERMANY
Day 198
Hamburg, Germany
Crikey!
That was huge. Our trip from Norway via Sweden and Denmark to Germany was exhausting! It took over 24 hours on the train..and our last leg to Hamburg was HORRIBLE! Well, it started our that way because we decided we didn't need to reserve our seats on the train and when we went to get on, no seats!!! Ohhhhhh
We finally found our way to the first class carriage and settled in for the last leg, and our last eurail journey...Fancy that....since March, we've spent four of those months 'eurailing' in Southern and now Northern Europe!
No wonder i'm SICK OF TRAINS!
Regarding the eurail passes...it's definitely worth paying the little bit extra to get first class tickets!
So Saturday night was spent in Hamburg!
We didn't have accomodation so we looked for the red light district and our hotel..which i'm not actually joking about..we've found the most budget places are near the sex outlets..and so far, haven't had a problem staying there at all!
After putting our bags down we headed for the Hamburg Pub next door!! It was so funny too..It was obviously a local pub where newcomers were looked at sceptically..because when we went in, the 3 guys at the bar went deathly quiet.....
Until we ordered our Jever bier (yummy) and practised our terrible German!
The next day we explored Hamburg and went to a chinese exhibition which was interesting..and had another beer at the Hamburg yacht club (and watched the race) and just relaxed..
We also took a sightseeing tour just to find out a bit more about Hamburg..and saw all the canals..apparently there used to be a lot more than there are now but they blocked them all in. There are lots of bridges too..and Amsterdam is the only place in Europe that has more than Hamburg!
Hamburg is considered the Venice of the North...i wonder how many more Venice of the North, South, East, West...a world can take!!!! ha!
Another point that fascinated me was there are over a hundred consulates here in Hamburg! Only Hong Kong and New York have more!
We're back to Euro's and back to getting the paper a bit cheaper! Madeline is still making news..now the Portugese police are blaming the parents and we read that they think they dumped her in the sea! Gosh.....what a drama that has been. It happened just a few days after we were in the Algarve (May 3rd) and it's still making news! I hope they find out what happened...but i keep thinking she's only one in so many that go missing around the world every year...
Dinner was at the Hamburger fest in the main square...
We had HOTDOGS!
Off to Frankfurt next...(probably have hamburgers there! haha!)
Saturday, 15 September 2007
ENROUTE TO GERMANY...
Day 197
Overnight stay on sleeper train, Bergen, Norway - Oslo, Norway
Oslo - Gottenburg, Norway
Gottenburg - Malmo, Sweden
Malmo - Copenhagen, Denmark
Final Destination: Hamburg, Germany
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Commiserations to all the Eagles fans!!! All i can say is......We'll all have to wait to get our WA team (Dockers) into the grandfinal next year!!! hehe
And to think..it's been 15 years or something since the Eagles lost to Collingwood! So that was a bit of a shock wasn't it??? Bet there are so sad, sorry heads about...
We were so looking forward to booking a hotel in the US too, with cable, drinking fosters, eating pies and barracking for WA!!! Our dream is shattered!!! Now the question is, do we or don't we still watch the grandfinal in US?......Of course yes!
Geelong to win?
****************
Onto more real things...it's 6.30am here now...
What a mammouth task we've just had...hanging around Bergen all day yesterday to catch the train here to Oslo at 11pm last night.
We checked out of our hostell yesterday (the gorgeous Montana Hostell which is situated on the mountain, so beautiful!) and then decided to go into Bergen, drop our packs off at the lockers in the train station, and look around Bergen again..to the fish markets, shopping mall, museum etc..
Well...we did that...and it's beautiful...but then....it started pouring down with rain!!! We escaped to the shopping mall and had our thai dinner (to celebrate the September birthdays!) and finished that at 5pm.
Our train didn't leave till 11pm...so what to do? It was pouring down with rain (apparently it rains in Bergen 275 days of the year!) and we didn't want to get soaked knowing we had a 7 hour journey to Oslo coming up...
So..we waited in the cold, in the train station, for 6 hours, with a mob of other poor cold souls....
And then caught our sleeper train....
And here we are in Oslo...now waiting for our next train! In another 3 hours!
We don't get to our destination, Hamburg, till almost midnight tonight...ohhhhh goshhh...
At least we're getting our money's worth on the Eurail!
Overnight stay on sleeper train, Bergen, Norway - Oslo, Norway
Oslo - Gottenburg, Norway
Gottenburg - Malmo, Sweden
Malmo - Copenhagen, Denmark
Final Destination: Hamburg, Germany
****************
Commiserations to all the Eagles fans!!! All i can say is......We'll all have to wait to get our WA team (Dockers) into the grandfinal next year!!! hehe
And to think..it's been 15 years or something since the Eagles lost to Collingwood! So that was a bit of a shock wasn't it??? Bet there are so sad, sorry heads about...
We were so looking forward to booking a hotel in the US too, with cable, drinking fosters, eating pies and barracking for WA!!! Our dream is shattered!!! Now the question is, do we or don't we still watch the grandfinal in US?......Of course yes!
Geelong to win?
****************
Onto more real things...it's 6.30am here now...
What a mammouth task we've just had...hanging around Bergen all day yesterday to catch the train here to Oslo at 11pm last night.
We checked out of our hostell yesterday (the gorgeous Montana Hostell which is situated on the mountain, so beautiful!) and then decided to go into Bergen, drop our packs off at the lockers in the train station, and look around Bergen again..to the fish markets, shopping mall, museum etc..
Well...we did that...and it's beautiful...but then....it started pouring down with rain!!! We escaped to the shopping mall and had our thai dinner (to celebrate the September birthdays!) and finished that at 5pm.
Our train didn't leave till 11pm...so what to do? It was pouring down with rain (apparently it rains in Bergen 275 days of the year!) and we didn't want to get soaked knowing we had a 7 hour journey to Oslo coming up...
So..we waited in the cold, in the train station, for 6 hours, with a mob of other poor cold souls....
And then caught our sleeper train....
And here we are in Oslo...now waiting for our next train! In another 3 hours!
We don't get to our destination, Hamburg, till almost midnight tonight...ohhhhh goshhh...
At least we're getting our money's worth on the Eurail!
Friday, 14 September 2007
WHAT FORMS SCANDINAVIA?
What i've found out...
is..
Basically Scandinavia is a region on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe which includes Denmark, Norway and Sweden..
But it seems Scandinavia included counries where OLD NORSE was spoken!
And where the north germanic languages are now spoken.
Which is why those other nordic countries like Iceland and Finland were included as well!
Culturally and historically it included all these countries..due to the close relations Sweden had with all the countries.
So..it depends who you speak to..as to what Scandinavia really encompasses!
I guess, in a nutshell, it is really Norway, Sweden and Denmark but the NORDIC countries include Sweden, Norway and Denmark as well as Finland, Greenland Iceland and the Faroe Islands..
There you go...that's my understanding!
For what it's worth!
is..
Basically Scandinavia is a region on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe which includes Denmark, Norway and Sweden..
But it seems Scandinavia included counries where OLD NORSE was spoken!
And where the north germanic languages are now spoken.
Which is why those other nordic countries like Iceland and Finland were included as well!
Culturally and historically it included all these countries..due to the close relations Sweden had with all the countries.
So..it depends who you speak to..as to what Scandinavia really encompasses!
I guess, in a nutshell, it is really Norway, Sweden and Denmark but the NORDIC countries include Sweden, Norway and Denmark as well as Finland, Greenland Iceland and the Faroe Islands..
There you go...that's my understanding!
For what it's worth!
LEAVING BERGEN..AND NORWAY!
Day 196
Bergen, Norway
What a GORGEOUS place Bergen is!! We went strolling around yesterday and ended up in the old part of Bergen....and all the streets are higgledepiggledee...and lopsided and wooden roads...so quaint and lovely!
It was like going back hundreds of years...literally! The streets were made in the 12th century..and are still there..all intact! Amazing feeling being in there...
And the harbour is so gorgeous.
I guess that's the thing about Norway..there is so much water and fjords and it just FEELS so good! There's something quite magical about water...and when I'm alongside it...I just feel at home. So we basically just strolled the streetss, admired the view, lapped up the scenery..enjoyed the water...wandered the shops...
Oh, the shops...
It was so tempting to buy one of the wonderful Norwegian coats....they look so warm! They're a bit bulky though. And we can't justifying buying something without chucking something out! So...no new coats for now! (Gosh i'm sick of this one i've been wearing for almost SEVEN months..arrrgh!!!!)
What can i get rid of so i can buy one?????
The sleeping bag??? I tell ya, i really want to get rid of it...we haven't used it that much, but i know we'll need them in South America! So...they stay. They are light but imagine how much more i could fit into the pack if i didn't have that!
I did substitute a pink hooded norwegian windsheater for my white one that i got rid of...so i do have something from here to wear!!! Couldn't resist...
I feel like tossing out my crocs too....haven't really used them...they're light so i might post them back! Along with a few other bits that i want to keep, but don't want to carry!
After a bit of reseach and how to get to Hamburg...we decided to catch another train and use up one of our last 3 eurail passes...the plane was a couple of thousand dollars...the ship was more expensive than the train and we have already been spoiled by catching the ferry when we arrived here on the Norway Fjord which is the deepest fjord in Scandinavia, so we're taking the practical route out..
So..We're here for another day in Bergen...then we have a 24 hour journey ahead of us..another sleeper in the train which leaves late tonight (we got our night's accomodation money back from this hostel, thank goodness!)
So..this is our last night in Norway. What an incredible place, yes it's expensive as they have the highest cost of living anywhere in the world..but the scenery is so amazing and spectacular..and so special..any amount of money would be worth paying.
And...i will never whinge about London again. That's cheap compared to here!! Even the internet here is one kroner per minute!!! Arrgh.
And...have to admit..we're going to stay for another 2 nights in London before we go to the US so we can see a play in the West End :-)..so, when i said i'd never go back there cos it's so expensive...well...i EAT MY WORDS!!!!!
Okies....hope everythings great there!!!!
Will write from Hamburg!
xxxxx
Bergen, Norway
What a GORGEOUS place Bergen is!! We went strolling around yesterday and ended up in the old part of Bergen....and all the streets are higgledepiggledee...and lopsided and wooden roads...so quaint and lovely!
It was like going back hundreds of years...literally! The streets were made in the 12th century..and are still there..all intact! Amazing feeling being in there...
And the harbour is so gorgeous.
I guess that's the thing about Norway..there is so much water and fjords and it just FEELS so good! There's something quite magical about water...and when I'm alongside it...I just feel at home. So we basically just strolled the streetss, admired the view, lapped up the scenery..enjoyed the water...wandered the shops...
Oh, the shops...
It was so tempting to buy one of the wonderful Norwegian coats....they look so warm! They're a bit bulky though. And we can't justifying buying something without chucking something out! So...no new coats for now! (Gosh i'm sick of this one i've been wearing for almost SEVEN months..arrrgh!!!!)
What can i get rid of so i can buy one?????
The sleeping bag??? I tell ya, i really want to get rid of it...we haven't used it that much, but i know we'll need them in South America! So...they stay. They are light but imagine how much more i could fit into the pack if i didn't have that!
I did substitute a pink hooded norwegian windsheater for my white one that i got rid of...so i do have something from here to wear!!! Couldn't resist...
I feel like tossing out my crocs too....haven't really used them...they're light so i might post them back! Along with a few other bits that i want to keep, but don't want to carry!
After a bit of reseach and how to get to Hamburg...we decided to catch another train and use up one of our last 3 eurail passes...the plane was a couple of thousand dollars...the ship was more expensive than the train and we have already been spoiled by catching the ferry when we arrived here on the Norway Fjord which is the deepest fjord in Scandinavia, so we're taking the practical route out..
So..We're here for another day in Bergen...then we have a 24 hour journey ahead of us..another sleeper in the train which leaves late tonight (we got our night's accomodation money back from this hostel, thank goodness!)
So..this is our last night in Norway. What an incredible place, yes it's expensive as they have the highest cost of living anywhere in the world..but the scenery is so amazing and spectacular..and so special..any amount of money would be worth paying.
And...i will never whinge about London again. That's cheap compared to here!! Even the internet here is one kroner per minute!!! Arrgh.
And...have to admit..we're going to stay for another 2 nights in London before we go to the US so we can see a play in the West End :-)..so, when i said i'd never go back there cos it's so expensive...well...i EAT MY WORDS!!!!!
Okies....hope everythings great there!!!!
Will write from Hamburg!
xxxxx
Thursday, 13 September 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWO WONDERFUL WOMEN!
Day 195
Bergen, Norway, SCANDINAVIA!
Here we are in beautiful Bergen..and all we can think about is HOME!
Tomorrow it's gorgeous Alena's birthday and we hope you have the most beautiful day. Your Dad is really missing you! And would love to give you the biggest hug! He loved talking with you earlier :-)
And tomorrow is Angie's 50th birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a gorgeous woman....we are missing you So much at the moment!!! We wish we could be at your hangi!! And there for your SPECIAL BIRTHDAY!
This is when life begins............
We hope you both have a wonderful day.
We're going to go out to dinner to celebrate all the birthdays in September!!
With all our Love to you, from us both xxx
****************
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY Frank, our new Antwerpen friend! We hope you have a wonderful party in your castle...we wish we could be there too!!! Thank you so much for inviting us! We'll be thinking of you and Karine as you celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary as well!
Congratulations!!!!
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Bergen, Norway, SCANDINAVIA!
Here we are in beautiful Bergen..and all we can think about is HOME!
Tomorrow it's gorgeous Alena's birthday and we hope you have the most beautiful day. Your Dad is really missing you! And would love to give you the biggest hug! He loved talking with you earlier :-)
And tomorrow is Angie's 50th birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a gorgeous woman....we are missing you So much at the moment!!! We wish we could be at your hangi!! And there for your SPECIAL BIRTHDAY!
This is when life begins............
We hope you both have a wonderful day.
We're going to go out to dinner to celebrate all the birthdays in September!!
With all our Love to you, from us both xxx
****************
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY Frank, our new Antwerpen friend! We hope you have a wonderful party in your castle...we wish we could be there too!!! Thank you so much for inviting us! We'll be thinking of you and Karine as you celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary as well!
Congratulations!!!!
****************
SCENIC TRIP FROM OSLO - BERGEN !
Day 194
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEENA!! Hope you had those drinks for us! We were thinking of you guys there..and yes, we are coming home, eventually!!!
***************
Oslo to Bergen, Norway
Montana Hostell
We were really looking forward to the trip to Bergen! We'd heard so much about it..and were prepared for our 12 hour journey because it included trains, ferry and bus!
And ohhhh it was SO beautiful.
The mountains and lakes and the wonderful fjords and autumn colours and the scenery was just SPECTACULAR! It was completely breathtaking to say the least....and more beautiful than any scenery i have ever seen. I keep saying that..and i keep thinking, this is it, this is the best..then we see MORE spectacular scenery..
This has to be it.
If you can get to Norway..and want to experience beautiful scenery..this has to take the cake. Especially the train journey from Flam.
It's an incredible train journey! We went from the mountain station at Myrdal on the Bergen Railway, down to Flam station which was nestled in the innermost corner of the Aurlandfjord which is a branch of the world's longest fjord, the Sognefjord.
We saw some of Norway's wildest and most magnificent scenery for sure! It was a 20 km long train ride and we saw rivers that cut through deep ravines and waterfalls cascade down the side of steep, snow-capped mountains and mountain farms clinging precariously on deep slopes!
Apparently the Flam Railway is one of the worlds steepest railway lines on a normal gauge. We saw a sign written on the side of a passing train that said the gradient is on average of 55/1000 on almost 80% of the line!
Meaning it had a gradient of one in eighteen!
There were twisting tunnels that spiralled in and out of the mountains and apparently are manifestations of the most daring and skilful engineering in Norwegian railway history.
This was spectacular....after the train ride we took the ferry from Flam to Gudvangen...and the ferry ride through the fjord to another stop was just as amazing as well...
Then the bus ride from Gudvangen to Voss was another scenic feast! And so steep, once again..we even stopped at a hotel on the way just to view the mountains at the back of it.
Basically we were blown away by the whole trip..landing in Bergen at 8pm after finally catching another bus here...
And booked into our accomodation..which is also beautiful!!!
Honestly Norway is everything you envision it to be..it's truly beautiful.
We're here in Bergen for a few days as it's such a lovely place...then somehow we're venturing back to Germany (Hamburg) which we think will be a 24 hour trip. The plane ride is not as cheap as the one we took from Tromso to Oslo..which was a cheap Norwegian Airline deal..so we will have to rail it..and i think it's going to be one of the most challening of our trip..
But I'll probably be back to see you (so to speak!) before we get to Hamburg....
xoxoxoxox
PS For my information
NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL!
Train from Oslo 08.11
To Myrdal 12.53
Train from Myrdal 13.27
To Flam 14.25 Lunch overlooking harbour before catching ferry
Boat from Flam 15.10 Sat at the bow whole trip
To Gudvangen 17.00
Bus from Gudvangen 17.45
To Voss 19.05 Dinner at cafe in train station
Train from Voss 19.20
To Bergen 20.34
Local bus in Bergen to Montana 21.00 to book in.
***************
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEENA!! Hope you had those drinks for us! We were thinking of you guys there..and yes, we are coming home, eventually!!!
***************
Oslo to Bergen, Norway
Montana Hostell
We were really looking forward to the trip to Bergen! We'd heard so much about it..and were prepared for our 12 hour journey because it included trains, ferry and bus!
And ohhhh it was SO beautiful.
The mountains and lakes and the wonderful fjords and autumn colours and the scenery was just SPECTACULAR! It was completely breathtaking to say the least....and more beautiful than any scenery i have ever seen. I keep saying that..and i keep thinking, this is it, this is the best..then we see MORE spectacular scenery..
This has to be it.
If you can get to Norway..and want to experience beautiful scenery..this has to take the cake. Especially the train journey from Flam.
It's an incredible train journey! We went from the mountain station at Myrdal on the Bergen Railway, down to Flam station which was nestled in the innermost corner of the Aurlandfjord which is a branch of the world's longest fjord, the Sognefjord.
We saw some of Norway's wildest and most magnificent scenery for sure! It was a 20 km long train ride and we saw rivers that cut through deep ravines and waterfalls cascade down the side of steep, snow-capped mountains and mountain farms clinging precariously on deep slopes!
Apparently the Flam Railway is one of the worlds steepest railway lines on a normal gauge. We saw a sign written on the side of a passing train that said the gradient is on average of 55/1000 on almost 80% of the line!
Meaning it had a gradient of one in eighteen!
There were twisting tunnels that spiralled in and out of the mountains and apparently are manifestations of the most daring and skilful engineering in Norwegian railway history.
This was spectacular....after the train ride we took the ferry from Flam to Gudvangen...and the ferry ride through the fjord to another stop was just as amazing as well...
Then the bus ride from Gudvangen to Voss was another scenic feast! And so steep, once again..we even stopped at a hotel on the way just to view the mountains at the back of it.
Basically we were blown away by the whole trip..landing in Bergen at 8pm after finally catching another bus here...
And booked into our accomodation..which is also beautiful!!!
Honestly Norway is everything you envision it to be..it's truly beautiful.
We're here in Bergen for a few days as it's such a lovely place...then somehow we're venturing back to Germany (Hamburg) which we think will be a 24 hour trip. The plane ride is not as cheap as the one we took from Tromso to Oslo..which was a cheap Norwegian Airline deal..so we will have to rail it..and i think it's going to be one of the most challening of our trip..
But I'll probably be back to see you (so to speak!) before we get to Hamburg....
xoxoxoxox
PS For my information
NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL!
Train from Oslo 08.11
To Myrdal 12.53
Train from Myrdal 13.27
To Flam 14.25 Lunch overlooking harbour before catching ferry
Boat from Flam 15.10 Sat at the bow whole trip
To Gudvangen 17.00
Bus from Gudvangen 17.45
To Voss 19.05 Dinner at cafe in train station
Train from Voss 19.20
To Bergen 20.34
Local bus in Bergen to Montana 21.00 to book in.
EXPLORING OSLO
Day 193
Oslo, Norway, Scandinavia
Today we crammed in as much as we possibly could so we could see the beautiful Oslo in all it's element...so we went to see Edvard Munch's museet which was WONDERFUL! I love this painter..he's Norway's most famous painter but he's also one of my favourites...and always was, but now he definately is. His works are so much better when you see them close up.
It was really funny though because while we were there the fire alarm went off!!! The security at his museet was so amazingly secure!! They had a robbery there in 2002 and obviously don't want anything to happen again! Whatever happened at that robbery was severe because it damaged his most famous works, 'The Scream' and so we only saw the pastel.
One thing i've noticed since seeing all my favourite painters works..is that they did numerous sketchings and paintings on the same theme..in different mediums. It makes sense to do that..but i never really connected that fact that they would be all displayed..so we got to see his pastel of The Scream which was great. But that's now why i love Edvard Munch's work.
I love the way he uses colour..his portraits are amazing and it's almost like you can see what he is feeling while he is painting them. So much passion in his work..and so much love while he is doing it..don't quite know what it is..but i felt really compelled in the museum just to STAY there!!! It was so funny too..because just as we were absorbed in looking at his work..and it was deathly silent...a beep from Alena came on the mobile. It scared everyone..my beeps are so loud! haha Had to laugh!
That was one museum that we went to..and to make the most of the Oslo card that we bought, for 110 Norwegian Kroner each, we decided to go and see as many as we could.
So we went off to the Viking Museum and saw 3 Viking ships...it was incredible because they've been restored back to the original and you can just imagine the vikings..about 30 of them..sitting in the boats rowing for all glory! They were so well preserved because they were later used as burial ships for wealthy and the viking captains. So interesting.
One thing that got me..was the fact that they said the vikings came from Scandinavia! And Scandinavia included Norway, Sweden and Denmark...i wondered what happened to Finland...i thought that was part of Scandinavia too!!!???
I'll have to check that..perhaps it was when Russia took over Finland..so it never became part of Scandinavia...don't know...but would like to know! I know Sweden 'owned' Norway and Denmark at one time..and so maybe that was it.....
These countries in Europe have such a deep history.....trying to work out where it all fits will take forever i'm sure........
Australia such a simple country! With a simple history. And stands on it's own..with no one trying to take it over (except the Japanese when they tried to get into Darwin!)
And then we saw the Contiki Museum...which has the reed boat that the 4 norwegians and 1 swedish guy built to sail from South America (peru) to Easter Islands to prove that people did come from South America and settle in Easter Islands. Remember all the coverage on this in the late 70's? We saw a film explaining it all..and the original boat and all the photos..fasincating!
We also saw the Fram Museum (Norway has a LOT of museums! Museets they call them!) This was a polar explorer ship and we went over that and looked at all the footage..
We also went to another one that had a film about the polar explorers..
Gosh it was a great day. Getting to the museums was fun too because they were all on a separate island so we had to catch a ferry there..and the Oslo harbour is so spectacular! Mountains peeking in the backdrop...and the boats..and the water...so glorious.
Norway is SO pretty.....our first impression of Oslo was the tourist thing..bad signage etc..but when you really look at the heart..the harbour..there is SO much that is wonderful about the place!
Ended up stopping off at a cafe and having norwegian fare for dinner....wrap things...filled with pesto type stuff..yummy....
Off to Bergen tomorrow!! A LONG day...12 hours......
And looking forward to it too because it's meant to be one of the most spectacular train journeys in the world!
Oslo, Norway, Scandinavia
Today we crammed in as much as we possibly could so we could see the beautiful Oslo in all it's element...so we went to see Edvard Munch's museet which was WONDERFUL! I love this painter..he's Norway's most famous painter but he's also one of my favourites...and always was, but now he definately is. His works are so much better when you see them close up.
It was really funny though because while we were there the fire alarm went off!!! The security at his museet was so amazingly secure!! They had a robbery there in 2002 and obviously don't want anything to happen again! Whatever happened at that robbery was severe because it damaged his most famous works, 'The Scream' and so we only saw the pastel.
One thing i've noticed since seeing all my favourite painters works..is that they did numerous sketchings and paintings on the same theme..in different mediums. It makes sense to do that..but i never really connected that fact that they would be all displayed..so we got to see his pastel of The Scream which was great. But that's now why i love Edvard Munch's work.
I love the way he uses colour..his portraits are amazing and it's almost like you can see what he is feeling while he is painting them. So much passion in his work..and so much love while he is doing it..don't quite know what it is..but i felt really compelled in the museum just to STAY there!!! It was so funny too..because just as we were absorbed in looking at his work..and it was deathly silent...a beep from Alena came on the mobile. It scared everyone..my beeps are so loud! haha Had to laugh!
That was one museum that we went to..and to make the most of the Oslo card that we bought, for 110 Norwegian Kroner each, we decided to go and see as many as we could.
So we went off to the Viking Museum and saw 3 Viking ships...it was incredible because they've been restored back to the original and you can just imagine the vikings..about 30 of them..sitting in the boats rowing for all glory! They were so well preserved because they were later used as burial ships for wealthy and the viking captains. So interesting.
One thing that got me..was the fact that they said the vikings came from Scandinavia! And Scandinavia included Norway, Sweden and Denmark...i wondered what happened to Finland...i thought that was part of Scandinavia too!!!???
I'll have to check that..perhaps it was when Russia took over Finland..so it never became part of Scandinavia...don't know...but would like to know! I know Sweden 'owned' Norway and Denmark at one time..and so maybe that was it.....
These countries in Europe have such a deep history.....trying to work out where it all fits will take forever i'm sure........
Australia such a simple country! With a simple history. And stands on it's own..with no one trying to take it over (except the Japanese when they tried to get into Darwin!)
And then we saw the Contiki Museum...which has the reed boat that the 4 norwegians and 1 swedish guy built to sail from South America (peru) to Easter Islands to prove that people did come from South America and settle in Easter Islands. Remember all the coverage on this in the late 70's? We saw a film explaining it all..and the original boat and all the photos..fasincating!
We also saw the Fram Museum (Norway has a LOT of museums! Museets they call them!) This was a polar explorer ship and we went over that and looked at all the footage..
We also went to another one that had a film about the polar explorers..
Gosh it was a great day. Getting to the museums was fun too because they were all on a separate island so we had to catch a ferry there..and the Oslo harbour is so spectacular! Mountains peeking in the backdrop...and the boats..and the water...so glorious.
Norway is SO pretty.....our first impression of Oslo was the tourist thing..bad signage etc..but when you really look at the heart..the harbour..there is SO much that is wonderful about the place!
Ended up stopping off at a cafe and having norwegian fare for dinner....wrap things...filled with pesto type stuff..yummy....
Off to Bergen tomorrow!! A LONG day...12 hours......
And looking forward to it too because it's meant to be one of the most spectacular train journeys in the world!
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
OSLO, NORWAY
Day 192
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Thinking of my gorgeous girl as she celebrates her birthday and wishing i could be there...awwwwwww
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Oslo, Norway, Scandinavia
What a trip! Flying is WONDERFUL!!!! It took 2 hours to travel 1,600 kilometers, from Tromso to Oslo, the capital of Norway. I wanna travel like this all the time........
Our dilemma now is how to get out of here! And where to stay! Thank god for internet bookings! At least if we arrive at a place at midnight we don't have to go searching for a place to stay..and worry whether the inn will be full or not!
Oslo is a funny place. We had to catch the train from the airport to the central train station and then find a map at the tourist centre (none at the airport!)which is situated just outside the train station.
It's funny in that it's a huge tourist place, and the capital of Norway and yet it's poorly signposted. Something we're really aware of everytime we come to a new place..and as you know, we've been to hundreds of new places!
Anyway, we did find the tourist centre, and a map, and found our hostel which is pretty average but what can one expect..on a budget! I wish we could win lotto to do this in style!!
Our aim here is to see Edvard Munch's gallery and more in particularly, 'The Scream' if we can..and to see the Viking Shipyard because this is supposedly where the Vikings come from! Even though the Swedish claim it...and really, when you think of it, Sweden DID own Norway and Finland at one time so probably these countries were Sweden when the Vikings were here!
Then, somehow, we want to get ourselves to Bergen as the Fjords and landscape here is meant to be the most beautiful in the world..so before we go back to Germany we want to experience our last gasps of spectacular northern arctic scenery...
Will keep you posted! :-)
Monday, 10 September 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY GORGEOUS GIRL
For Elise.
After failed pregnancies and many tests I knew you, my special child, would be my second and my last. Three years of pain took it's toll and after seeing specialists and going through an intensive program, we were blessed when finally we had you, our baby girl in our arms.
The year you were born was the only year i didn't go to the Islands in 20 years, having to remain monitored and immobile for the whole pregnacy, for fear of losing you. I used to travel to the city each month for extensive tests. Then, you ended up being a breech baby and a caesarian with an epidural followed.
We knew you were a girl early on..and I entrusted this information to Sam and he used to call you Sarah! We still have videos of him calling you that. It's a wonder the whole world didn't know you were a girl...everyone wanted to know!
Of course after you were born, the name Sarah didn't suit. Elise was a far more feminine and lovely name. And a name we took from the girl on Sale of the Century! Alyce Platt. Except we changed the spelling! Your second name took the name of your grandmother and the both of you remain extremely close. It's a special relationship.
I will never forget the day you were born.
You were 3 weeks early and born in the city. Hundreds of kilometers from home.
To us, the day you were born was a day that we were filled with the joy of our special little girl. Girls are special. Even your Pop rang us to especially thank us for having a baby girl!
You were the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen and those were my first words before i was knocked out and given a general anaesthetic because the epidural didn't work effectively. 'She is beautiful', I remember telling your father as he looked admiringly down at you with a grey face from witnessing your birth.
Your eyes were so big and enquiring and so round and blue. You looked up at me with those huge eyes and i felt an overwhelming surge of love for you, my gorgeous baby girl. Your skin was so soft and smooth and I remembering thinking caesarian babies don't have wrinkles!
You had the cutest rosebud lips...
9 hours after the birth, you were wheeled into my room and that was when we realised you had the healthiest lungs a baby could have! You were dressed in blue, with a blue dummy and all i could think of was after having had a boy first, i wanted you in pink! You were also sleeping curled up, in the 'prone' position due to laying interuterine with your feet up! You looked like a little frog :-)
You were later showered in pink from all the gifts and for the next two years i had pink outfits adorn you till you were blue!!
When it was your choice to dress, you wore board shorts and tee shirts like your brother! And when you could, you'd wear his clothes. You were such a tomboy!
You were the brightest, bubbliest, giggliest and happiest little girl. With the most amazing whacky sense of humour that i've always loved! Always quick to learn new words and squeal when Sam 'attacked' you! And you were always so nimble, bouncing all over the place. A true little gymnast that's for sure! You never stopped climbing! Climbing furniture, the boat, and up trees and walls. Your aspirations to be a decky never wavered and until you were 17 when those dreams, and dreams of going pearling were dashed!
You always wanted to work on the boats! And it doesn't surprise me you are still clothed in fishing, with your darling David being heavily involved in the fishing and boating industry.
You always loved the Islands and fishing. Every chance you could get you were crabbing with the tongs and bucket or yelling for Sam to pick you up and take you to the moorings at the Islands to catch a groper! Every chance you could get, you were out on your Dad's boat as well. You loved the sea and every aspect of the Islands. You were born with it!
You were always close to your brother Sam and even though he was three and half years older you still competed with him. He was your champion and you wanted to follow his every footstep. And he protected you with his life. You remain close and i'm so proud of the unwavering bond you both have developed together.
Little kids always loved you. You were a mother's saviour as you were always willing to play with all the babies and kids that friends and family brought over. Your little country and city cousins who were babies when you were at school were your biggest love. You'd play with them for hours..and they just idolised you for it.
You always had a keen eye for detail. If anything ever got lost in our home you always knew where to find it..You had an uncanny ability to be able to find anything! This eye for detail extended to your drawing..
You'd draw for hours and hours on end. I remember one year i told you and Sam that I'd give you both a hundred dollars if you kept a journal for a year...To my surprise you both wrote a daily diary for a whole year. Yours was in pictures. A year's diary in pictorial form. It was amazing.
Your love for music came out in your desire to play piano and sing and every year you'd be in the Music School concert and I remember your drawings being a feature there as well, featuring on the cover of the music programme. I have videos of these concerts and they are so cute! Duets were your favourite and I was so proud of your winning efforts when she performed with your friend Jodie.
But maths was your favourite subject at school. You always excelled at that. Maths and science.
Your forte was your love of nature. You'd spend hours observing bees, spiders and insects and watching bugs in the back yard. Many times those very bees seem to sting your feet! Oh, the memories.
This love for nature saw you spend many hours with your grandma at Burns examining the insects which inspired your grandma to buy you insect catchers and fish ponds for your birthdays! Sometimes we'd find the insects adorning your bedroom! Later we found dogs, cats, fish and birds coming to live with us due to your love of animals.
As a child you were always industrious and creative. I still have an 'ugly doll' which you made and colourful cushions and a patchwork handbag. You were always using the sewing machine to dream up a creation or drawing or making something! Later in your teens, you and your friends would have dress up parties and i remember one where you all dressed up in what looked like rags! The photos are fantastic.
You were sporty as well. Swimming was your favourite and as champion girl at school you stood proud in this sport. You played badminton, hockey, tee ball and did gymnastics, dancing and any sport you could.
From year 7 you lived in the city but you still spent the holidays going back to your Dad and the town you loved. Eventually you went back to that town to live. A town that i have such memories as a girl of, living there with my own mother and a town i no longer live myself and yet a town where my children, you and your brother, both live. A town we all have a close affiliation with.
You have now become an integral part of that seaside town where you were brought up. Your love of the sea saw that you are now not far away from your beloved islands, your beloved David and Sam and his gorgeous partner Allie and your family and freinds in the town.
You have a wonderful, happy and respectful relationship with your partner and you work in a workplace that has directed you in a way where you have truly developed in your career. Your colleagues respect and trust you. You have a business sense, which we saw in your pursuit of your house, and car, that is bold, forward thinking and ambitious. And you are extremely resourceful. You have grown into a beautiful and wise young woman.
When I look at you, I see a courageous and beautiful young lady. I feel so proud and am overflowing with love for you. You have grown into such a wise and loving person who has an ability to reach out and touch the lives of others. You have touched my life. And made my life a joyous one for you being in it.
You are patient and kind and a daughter that i love so much. You are so happy and compassionate and you have an empathy for people that is beyond words. You are always 'there' for your friends and family. And you are generous and hospitable. Always humble and with a quiet confidence you travel through live. These are traits that you possess and are valuable.
The love that your brother and you share is so touching. From kids who fought to adults that genuinely respect and care for each other, you have taught me the value of a sibling. You both certainly have a special relationship. And you have gone through a lot together. Being there for each other, in the trauma's and tribulations that each have faced in your short lives.
The way you have handled these hardships and circumstances that were outside your control are admirable. You always kept your dignity and grace. And you have a strength of being, that shines in adversity.
Knowing you possess this quality, you will always know you can be strong and you will be able to face anything that comes your way. I know you know this, because you've been there and have handled difficult situations.
You have a strong sense of self and this is what will get you through.
And your determination and at times, doggedness, will serve you. At times it may hinder you, but you know your weaknesses. To be able to reflect on situations will enable you to change what you can and alter what needs to be altered. Your asset is your willingness to change. And to forgive.
And you can, and you have.
And this is what i love about you.
Elise, you are so beautiful. Inside and out. It shines from you.
I love our email and text contact when we're away from each other and I can't wait to see you, my special girl, when we're together again, when we get back from our trip.
Elise, I love you with all my heart.
A better daughter, a mother could not ask for.
You are special.
And you'll always be my gorgeous girl.
Us :-)
Happy 20th Birthday my darling daughter.
Love Mum xxx
Sunday, 9 September 2007
EXPLORING TROMSO..
Isn't it a beautiful place?
Tromso, Norway Day 191
Tromso is a university town..but it's also a harbour so there are massive ships docked here...right alongside our hotel! It's amazing looking out of the window to see this! And the town is nestled amongst snow capped mountains...the amazing fjords and we can see huge glaciers...so pretty.
The amazing thing is, this town, even in winter remains above zero, or practically above zero as its an island among the fiords...and the ocean water is warm. So even when there is snow, and it snows all year round, the harbour water never freezes over!
We walked the bridge today...the one that ties the two Tromso islands...and as we were looking out we were just overwhelmed by the beauty. Ships and mountains covered in snow..and little coloured A frame houses nestled in the mountains...so lovely.
It was pretty cold too!!! As we were walking i was messaging Rob and Mum! haha and had to message and walk at the same time....just as well there was a path to keep me on the straight and narrow. One of these days i'm going to get knocked over doing that!!! NORTY!
We also walked most of the way to the museum...then caught a bus that ended up taking an hour to get there but we loved it..because the Russian bus driver stopped at one point and came and chatted to us while we waited 20 minutes at one of the stops....he said Tromso at this time of the year, in Autumn and just passed their summer season, doesn't have many tourists and the main time is in the winter for the northern lights.
I'd love to come back here in winter..when it is completely white with snow...and at the time when it never gets light (for about 2 months) but at night you can see the northern lights, or the aurora borealis. It'd be so spectacular....or to come here in Summer, when it never gets dark, (for about 2 months) to see the Midnight sun would be something too..
We were talking about it today...our next trip will be to come back to Scandinavia to see that!!!
And in our travel discussions that occupy a lot of our time, we'd like to go to Russia as well. We've tried to fit that into our plans for this trip..to go to St Petersburg, but we're running out of time..with our flight to the US looming up very shortly.
THere's just so much to see in this part of the world!!!
We ended up going to the Polar museum and saw the seals..that was pretty cool too...
Gosh, we need another year to see everything......We're off tomorrow to Oslo..but apparently there's a great botanic garden here with all the plants in autumn colours.....from the northern areas.....and oh....it'd be good to see it...
BUT!
We have to leave something for Next Time!!!!
TROMSO NORWAY
This is Tromso..see the bridge we walked over!
Day 190
Tromso, Northern Norway
1 AUD = 4.74571 Norway Kroner
After catching the bus from Rovaniemi at 11am we arrived in Norway last night at 9pm (8pm after we turned our clocks back an hour)Was good catching a bus for a change..the scenery is different by bus.....going along the rivers, valley's, forests and lakes..AND snow capped mountains...to Tromso, an island among the fjords..so, so beautiful!
As we approached Tromso...we saw Beware the Moose signs on the roads! SO funny....in South Africa we thought it was funny seeing the Beware the Rockfall signs..here it's the moose!!!
Back to Norwegian Kroner again though..gosh..all these different currencies..arrgh.
What a beautiful trip here....the valleys, forests, waterfalls...the autumn colours that changed as we got further north were just amazing..from peach, lime green and pale lemon to stronger colours of burgandy and deep olive green and reds and yellows and oranges..just lovely....such contrasting autumn colours up here!
And what a gorgeous place Tromso is...we donned all our wet weather gear and didnt need it because it wasnt raining..just COLD...(we loook like eskimos at the moment!)...but its creative in the city....there are musicians in the street and beatutiful lights..
Our accomodation here is not as cheap as it was in Rovaniemi...(was VERY CHEAP in our hotel called Hostel Randolf hehe which was attached to Hotel Santa!! Was only 150 euros for 3 nights!)
Had to laugh at the guy at the reception..when he asked if we were Australian we said yes, and he said, 'Oh, you have Austrian troops!'
We thought he was a bit weird saying that..then he went on to explain that Bush is in Australia and made a fopah by calling the troops Austrian instead of Australian...when he could see we thought he was a complete dill (Greg used another word to describe him) the guy went on about how many other blundering misakes he'd made on the Aussie tour!
We had to laugh..he knew all about it..and we thought, gee news travels fast! And to be honest, there is a lot of interest in Australia in Scandinavia...there seems to be a lot of Australian wildlife shows on the tv and people are always wanting to talk to us about Australia!! Especially Perth, being the most isolated city in the world!
But..here its nice. And breakfast and dinner is included..so last night we had Norweigian meatballs and fish which was different...
And no...MUM...we didnt eat reindeer...just couldnt! Oh, another thing about reindeers that i just remembered..is that for every square centimetre of their body..they have 1,700 hollow hairs!!!! Which apparently keeps them warm in the cold..and they can survive up to MINUS 52 celcius....imagine that!
But yes, apparently Fins eat reindeer..but i just couldnt........theyre too cute!
Its the northern most university town in the world here apparently...
Were only here for 2 nights tho..so were off to explore now.....and to Oslo tomorrow..see you there!
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