The Essence of Turkey. December 16th -24th.

Tuesday 16th December. We were up and breakfasted and off out to explore a bit in Istanbul at 9.00am, as we were not being picked up till 10.00am.

We met our local guide Ercha just after 10.00am for a tour of the Old Town Istanbul. We visited the Sultanahmet ( blue Mosque) which was really beautiful, The Hippodrome ( used for Chariot races), St Sophia ( which was constructed by Emperor Justinian in 537 ad and it was the greatest church in Christendom till the conquest of Constantinople in 1453), Topkapi Palace, the Old town and Old Wall, The New Mosque, The Grand Bazaar and the Spices Bazaar - just amazing shopping places. Istanbul is a city of diversity and heaps of history that unites elements of Europe and the Orient.

We went to a high view top and had a stunning view of the Golden Horn and Bosphosus sea's - it was just fabulous! The Grand Bazaar is huge and sells everything from carpets to gold. It has 4,000 shops in its little alleyways.
We arrived back to our Hotel just after 4.00pm. I had a relax and Kevin visited a internet cafe. Then we went out to a local restaurant for dinner.


Wednesday 17th December. We were up early at 5.00am for a pick up at 6.30am. We were put on a public bus to go to Gallipoli. We were the only english speaking people on the bus. We drove for 5hrs - wondering were we were meant to get off. We got to a village called Eceabat and were told this is our stop. We were met by a " On the Go" rep and taken to a Hotel to store our
luggage while we visited the gallipoli Peninsular with a local guide - Arnold.

The brave ANZAC's are remembered on the 25th April every year. A Dawn service is held at Anzac Cove followed by national services at Lone Pine (Australia) and Chunuk blair ( New Zealand). We visited these memorials and the actual cove and saw the steep cliffs they had to climb and where Ataturk had forseen the landing and sent his Turkish Troops there to do battle with the partly unsuspecting allies.

Its now a National Park and a revered and peaceful region. We returned to the little hotel and picked up our luggage and caught the ferry boat over to Cannakkale as we were staying over there for the night at Hotel Helen. We had a relax and then went to dinner at 8.00pm.


Thursday 18th December. We were up at 7.15am and ready to depart at 8.45am for Troy. We had two girls from the USA - Emily and Olga with us too. Our local guide was called Ken and he told us the Legend of Troy - Paris and Helen on the Trojan side and Agamemnon and Archilles on the Greek side.

Troy was rediscovered in 1863 and the excavations revealed 9 ancients cities one on top of the other - dating back to 3.000bc. Troy is still a work in progress for Archaeological work. There is even a replica Trojan Wooden Horse for the tourists.
Its an amazing experience to be standing here. We went back to Canakkale and had 1hour to spare ,to explore on our own, so we walked the waterfront area.

Then we caught a public bus to Izmir at 1.30pm. Again we were the only ones speaking english on board. We arrived at 8pm, quite poophed out! We were met by a "On the Go " rep and taken by mini van to Kusadasi - arriving at 9.30pm. Too late for dinner, so they brought up a sandwich each for us - better than nothing I guess! To bed by 10pm as very tired after our bus journey.


Friday 19th December. We were up at 7.30am and to breakfast and ready to depart at 9.00am for a guided tour exploring the Roman Ruins of Ephesus. It' s one of the best -preserved Classical Roman Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, being founded in the 13th Century bc. The Top sites within the archaeological area that we saw were- The Great theatre, Curetes Way, The Temple of Serapis, The Temple Hadrian, the Awesome Library of Celsus, the Ancient Public Toliets, a Brothel and remains of Fountains and other Temples. We spent 3 hrs wandering about here.

Then we went off to have a buffet lunch. There were 9 of us on the tour-2 Pakistan, 2 USA, 2 Aussies, 1 Japan and us. - quite a mix!

After lunch we visited the Temple of Artemis - which wasn't much, only one tall column remains of it. It was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders once. Then we visited a Carpet Manufacturing House.

We next visited the Virgin Mary's House high up on a hill in the muncipality of Selcuk. A very peaceful place. Then it was back to town to visit a leather manufacturer-who put on a fashion show for us and then served us drinks and we tried various leather jackets on. All very nice! But too expensive!

We dropped the others back to their Hotels and we were the last as we were the only ones staying in Kusadasi. So instead of taking the bus back, we got driven back in a car and arrived at 6.00pm. Our only purchase from the leather house was a nice blue Cap! We went to the Hotel Restaurant for dinner at 7.30pm - typical Turkish fare!

Saturday 20th December. We were up at 8.00am as we drove East to Pamukkale today. Its known locally as the Cotton Castles. Pamukkale is a natural phenomenon. Its formed when warm calcium rich mineral waters cascaded over the cliff edge - cooling and depositing in the process - making the Calcium Terraces.

There is Pamukkale Thermal where we had a dip in the warm waters, amongst submerged bits of marble columns. Its thought the pool was once the centre of the ruined Roman Spa Town of Hierapolis - which was a cure centre founded about 190bc by the Romans.

There are alot of Roman Ruins here and the star is a partially restored Roman Theatre - amazing! It was capable of seating 12.000 people. On this tour today there were 10 of us. - 2 Pakistan. 2 Germany, 1 Aussie, 3 South Africans and us 2 Kiwis - so another international group! We got dropped off at our Hotel - the Palm in Pamukkale and the others went back to Sulchet, where they were staying.

I had a relaxing bath and shampooed my hair after my mineral water swim. We had dinner in the Hotel at 7.30pm. A very nice Hotel - quite posh!

Sunday 21st December. We were up and away by 10.30am. Although Kevin had a swim in the Hot Mineral Pool at the Hotel prior to leaving. Our guide was the driver in his own car today. A change from the bus. His name was Hayati and was very friendly, helpful, knowledgeble and charming! We visited the Saklikent Gorge - a spectacular gorge that cuts its way through the
Akdaglar Mountains.

The Saklikent is 18km long and so steep and narrow that the sun doesn't reach - so the water is icy cold even in the summer. We walked along a wooden boardwalk above the river and it out into a picnic area. It was very tranquil and peaceful and beautiful here!

Next we arrived at Fethiye and found our Hotel. Because it was still light Hayati took us to see the Ghost City - where the Armenians lived before Ataturk sent them away in 1915.
We visited Oludeniz Lagoon - a European area with lovely housing and a delightful beach on the Mediterranean Sea.

We arrived in time to see the Sunset. Oludeniz is known for its tandem Paraglides fron dizzying heights - Not Today for the Gledhills! ha ha...

We headed back to Fethiye where we were staying . Its a seaside town on Turkey's Turqoise Coast surrounded by the Taurus Mountains. Its a charming coastal port with an outer bay strewn with islands. Kevin had a tummy upset so lay down. I went to the local shop for something to eat as we had no dinner provided tonight. I did some on the blog as the internet was free here!

Monday 22nd Decenber. We were up and departed at 8.00am on a cool drizzly day. We drove along the Mediterranean Coast and stopped for only a few photo's in Kaz - a traditional Turkish Fishing Village. We carried on seeing fabulous scenery. We stopped at Finiker for coffee and pastery and a little relax.Its another fishing village.

Then Hayati took us to Chimera to see the Fire Mountains. It was a steep 15 minute climb up the mountain side. We saw the fire going naturally from the rock. It was really amazing!
He drove us on to Olympos, a very ancient city - but now home to the World Famous Tree Houses. We are staying in the "Dingoes House" one of the tree houses.

What a fantastic experience! We arrived at 3.00pm and said our farwells to Hayati, as he heads home. We went down to dinner at 6.00pm and ate our meal with everyone, approx 20 people - all young and no one spoke english - quite a dag!! We went back to our tree house and read till bedtime.

Tuesday 23rd December. Our guide Hayati yesterday told us the company wished to fly us back to Istanbul due to safety reasons - as the inland bus route was suffering snow and heavy rain and there may be long delays. So we were quite pleased as it saved a 10hr bus ride for a 1hr air flight.

We were taken at 8.00am for our transfer to the Antalya Airport from Olympos ( 1 1/2 hr drive). We flew out at 10.45am and arrived back in Istanbul at 11.45am. We met the On the Go representative for the transfer to the Hotel we had before. We had a shower and then went out to explore Istanbul and get some lunch too. It was a cool day but no rain. We also spent some time in the internet cafe .We got back to the Hotel at 5.00 pm and rested as we have a long journey ahead of us.

Its hard to believe our year has come to an end - but were pretty excited about getting back to little New Plymouth and seeing everyone!

Wednesday 24th December. We slept in till 8.00am, then up and breakfasted. We went off for a last explore of Istanbul and a little check of our emails prior to leaving for home.
We got picked up at 12midday for the transfer to the Airport. We had a long wait as our flight did not depart till 7.10pm. Luckily we had a book each to read!

Thursday 25th December. We arrived in Dubai at 1.15am Xmas Morning after a 4hr flight.Our next flight departed from Dubai to Bangkok leaving at 3.15am and arriving at Bangkok at 12.00pm. So we basically had Xmas Dinner in Bangkok Airport - a squashed Moro Bar each!ha ha...We departed Bangkok at 7.30pm for Brisbane, Australia.

Friday 26th December. We arrived in Brisbane and we had a 1 1/2 hr wait, then we flew off to Auckland - arriving at 3.15pm. We got through customs and Immigration fine. We walked over to the Domestic Terminal for our flight to New Plymouth,departed at 7.30pm. We had a nap on the seats there. We arrived in New Plymouth at 8.05pm to see Sarah & Mom meeting us! Wer'e actually home! on good old N.Z.soil.

Here's 2 quotes I like about our travels;

" Travel, like Dreams, is a door that opens from the Real World-
Into a World that is yet to be Discovered". - G. De Maupassant.



"When sights, impressions & phenomena build on Top of each other -
And faces , languages & cities will all meld into each other
And everything will be as if a dreamscape in the Minds Eye".


We had a fabulous year 2008!

On the Go in Jordan. December 12th - 15th.

Firday 12th December. Up at 3.30 am & down to breakfast and picked up at 5.00 am for the transfer to the airport for our flight to Amman, Jordan. We left at 8.00 am and arrived at 9.25 am in Amman. We met up with our guide - Jemelia & driver - Yahyah. We headed to the Dead Sea for a few hours. We floated in the mineral rich waters - amazed as we kept bobbing up & floatıng on the top0f the sea. We had a buffet lunch here - very nice!

Next we travelled to Wadi Rum and stopped to watch the sunset on the way. We arrived at Wadi Rum at 6.00 pm to our Bedouin Camp for the night. The Wadi Rum is a protected area, that was created in 1998. İt covers 720sq km of outstanding Desert Landscape. We enjoyed a Bedouin Style Dinner under the Stars. Chatted for a while , then headed to our tents & bed at 8.30 pm.

Saturday 13th December. İ had a terrible night with tummy pain & running across the desert to the loo. Kevin slept soundly all night long. Up at 6.00 am & we departed at 8.00 am for a 4/4 jeep safari in the Wadi Rum. Just lovely for my tummy!

We visited some of the sights of interest: Lawrences Spring, Khaz'ali Canyon, Burdah Rock
Bridge, Alameleh İnscriptions, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Bedouin Village. Then we drove next to Petra through the desert. We arrived at our Hotel at 12 noon.

İ had a rest & Kevin went for a swim ın the Hotel pool. We met our guide at 2.00 pm to visit Little Petra - a Archaeological Caravan Stopover Sıte from ancient times. İt was very impressive indeed. We returned to Petra at 4.30 pm & had a pizza together for our lunch & tea - very nice. İ'm feeling a little better thank goodness. We went to bed early as we have another early start in the morning.

Sunday 14th December. Up at 6.00 am & departed at 7.00 am. We have a full days guided tour , visiting the jewel in Jordans Archaeological Crown. Access was by walking through a narrow deep siq & the end prize was the hidden Valley where the Rose City of Petra lies. As we reach the end of the siq we came across the spectacular facade of Alkazneh - the Treasury of Petra.

İts truly breathtaking - it was carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb of a Nabataean Kıng. The carved facade shows the Nabataean engineering genius. Next we passed the streets of facades - rows of Nabataean Tombs with intricate carvings.

The Theatre looks Roman but was built by the Nabataeans in the 1st century AD. İt can seat 7,000 people & is carved into the solid rock.Next we saw several Royal Tombs the largest Urn Tomb Silk Tomb Castle Tomb and Corinthian Tomb.We walked along a beautiful Colonnaded street with marble pavement still seen today.We climbed to the top, 800 stairs cut into the rock up the mountain of Ad-Deir and saw the marvellous Mountain scenes along the way.

We reached Ad-Deir -the Monastery - Petras second most famous attraction. Its absolutely beautiful and next we climbed a little further to be at the Top of the World in Jordan. We took lots of photos and then wandered back again to arrive at our Hotel by 3.30 pm after a fabulous day out!

We met Jamelia for dinner at 6.00 pm. Kevin wrote her a poem and said it to her, she was quite pleased I think.We said our farewells and headed home to bed.

Monday 15th December. We were up at 4.00 am as being picked up at 5.00 am for the drive to Amman, to catch our 10.00 am flight to Cairo. We have had a wonderful time in Jordan now its time to leave. We arrived in Cairo at 11.30 am and had a long wait till 6.00 pm.

Then we flew to Istanbul, Turkley and arrived at 8.45 pm and got to our Hotel at 9.30 pm. Now it was Kevins turn to feel nauseated and have a funny tummy! So we were both happy to fall into bed tonight!

The Best of Egypt. 3rd - 11th December.

Wednesday 3rd December. We flew to Cairo at 3.40 pm and arrived at 5.30 pm. We were met at the airport by the companys representative and transported to our Hotel ın Cairo. We had a lovely bath - soaking our tired limbs! To bed by 8.30 pm as we are arising at 3.00am tomorrow! Once again its all go for us.


Thursday 4th December. Woke up at 3.00 am, luggage out at 3.30 am and we departed at 4.00 am. We were given brekky boxes to take with us. We flew to Luxor on Egyptian Airlines and on arrival went to visit Karnak Temple, which was just fabulous!

For over 1700 years Karnak was extended by every ruler. İt has gigantic pylons and obelisks and the Amum Temple with its phenomenal columned hall is amazing. The size and scale of Karnak is very impressive. We marvelled at the remains of the amazing avenue of the Sphinx.

We boarded our luxury cruise ship H.M. Norma for lunch and got our rooms and had a relax. At 3.30 pm we met up with our other travellers and went to visit the Grand Temple of Luxor which dominates the town. İts amazing to see ancient and modern side by side.

Next we visited a papyrus factory ( how paper was made ın ancient tımes ) and we made a couple of puchases as we felt they were good value. Back to our ship for dinner at 7.30 pm - buffet style - very nice indeed.


Friday 5th December. Awoke at 5.00 am and up and departed by 6.00 am. We headed to the West Bank of the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings in the secluded Theban Hills. They are the Tombs of the Pharaohs.The valley is surrounded by high cliffs , dominated by a natural pyramid shaped peak. The tombs were dramatically built into the hillsides. We saw the Tombs of Ramses 4th, 9th & the 1st.

Next we visited breathtaking Deir-el-Bahri - Queen Hatshepsuts impressive temple and the Temple of Medinet Habou - both amazing! We returned to the ship and sailed for Edfu.

We spent the afternoon sunbathing & swimming in the ships pool. Our ship went through a lock at Esna and Egyptians row out in their boats to get us to buy things by throwing them up to you - and you put the money in the plastic bag & throw it back to them again. Kevin bought an egyptian outfit from them at a good steal. He ıs quıte good at negotıatıng. We had dinner at 7.30 pm & watched some T.V. till 11 pm.


Saturday 6th December. We were up & departed at 7.30 am to visit Edfu Temple. Egypts best preserved temple. İt was dedicated to the Falcon God Horus. We visited a bazaar on the way back to the ship. We continued our tranquil cruise along the Nile, sunbathing and relaxing on the top of the ship.

We arrived in Kom - Ombo at 4.00 pm.We visited the magnificent Temple at Kom-Ombo - its actually 2 temples in one. The temple was built for both the Falcon and Crocodile Gods. At 9.30 pm we had a special Egyptian Dress Up Party to attend. İt was a alot of fun dancing and listening to Egyptian music and later on some 60s music. Kevın and I both dressed up as best we could to resemble Egyptıans. To bed around 11.30 pm.


Sunday 7th December. We were up at 6.00 am and departed at 7.00 am to visit the Unfinished Obelisk, the High Dam of Aswan and the Temple Isis - on a wee İsland called Philae. All very historical and interesting! We went back to the ship for lunch & had a relax.

At 2.00 pm we met up again for a wonderful Felucca ride across the Nile to visit the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener's İsland. The Felucca is the traditional craft of the egyptians who have sailed in them down the centuries.

We had dinner altogether again at 7.30 pm. Then we had an Egyptian Music & Dance Show at 9.00 pm. İt was very interesting and very entertaining!


Monday 8th December. We were up at 6.00 am and departed at 7.00 am. We were taken to Aswan Airport to catch the plane to Abu Simbel which took 30 minutes. Next we got a bus to the Sun Temple of Abu Sımbel. İts a fabulous Temple that was reclaimed & reconstructed in its present location.

İt is possibly the most awe inspiring temple of all ancient Egypt with its gigantic rock. The facade was created to the mighty ruler Ramses 2nd. Our guide Hazem is such an expert on Egyptology - he makes it interesting and humorous as well.

At midday we caught the bus back to Abul Simbel Airport to catch the plane back to Aswan and then on to Cairo. We arrived at our Hotel - Ramses Hilton at 4.00 pm. Kevin went off to use the internet and İ watched some TV.


Tuesday 9th December. We were up at 7.00 am and departed at 8.30 am on a city tour with our guide Hazem. First we visited Citadel of Salah-al-din, a spectacular complex dominating Cairo's skyline. Next we visited Sultan Hassan Mosque. İt was very ornate inside and an amazing place.

İn Old Cairo we visited the Hanging Church of St Mary ( a coptic church). We also saw the Egyptian Museum for 3 hrs seeing all the treasures there, especially King Tutankhamun's priceless treasures. Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb ın the Valley of the Kings in 1922. We saw Tutankhaman's solid gold death mask too.

We returned to the Hotel just after 3 pm for the evening. Kevin went for a swim ın the Hotel pool. At 7 pm we went out for McDonalds for tea & then a walk round Cairo & we walked over a bridge over the Nile to enjoy some of the night life. Home to TV & bed!

Wednesday 10th December. Another full day in Cairo. We were up at 6.00 am & departed at 7.30 am to see amazing sights! First we visited the famous Pyramids & the Sphinx of Giza. (representing wisdom & power) We gazed in awe at Cheops Pyramid - the largest of the 3 great pyramids, constructed from over 2.5 mıillion limestone blocks & taking more than 20 years to complete. This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World & we are here!

Leah, Alice & İ also rode a camel each for 20 minutes in the desert of Giza, what an experience!!
Next we visited a cotton shop to view their wares. We continued on to Memphis where we saw the limestone statue of Ramses 2nd and a giant Alabaster Sphinx too.

We carried on to Sakkara where the Step Pyramid was the first pyramid built and heralded the start of the pyramid age. We explored some of the Tombs & Temples at this site. The Step Pyramid was constucted by İmhotep the Pharaoh's Chief Architect in 27 BC.

Then we called into a Carpet School and learnt how they were made. - no purchases here!
Back to the Hotel in Cairo and we said our goodbyes to each other & Kevin said a poem of thanx he had written. Some of us met up at 6.30 pm for dinner altogether at a little İtalian Restaurant. Home by 8.30pm and bed soon after!

Thursday 11th December. We got up at 6.00 am & were picked up from the Hotel at 7.00 am for the drive to Alexandria on the Mediterranean Coast (3 hrs). We visited the Catacombs - where important Romans & Egyptians were buried. We visited the seafront & port of Alexandria, the Citadel, Amud Sawari - relics & statues from a bye gone time. We had lunch at a restaurant over looking the Alexandria Beach. An Egyptian meal of fish - Different!

We also visited the Alexandria Library - which is an amazing building & a wonderful research tool for university students here.We left at 2.30 pm for the drive back to Cairo. Arriving at our Hotel at 6.00 pm, after our long day. We had breadrolls & a coke for tea in our room, showered & hit our bed as we have a 4.00 am get up time tomorrow.

Knightsbridge London.

Saturday 29th November. We got up at 9.30 am after a lovely sleep in. Kevin headed off to Acton to pıck up the last sports bag of gear. He had ordered a box for sendıng home excess stuff and they arrived this am. He arrived back and then we took off for Twickenham for the All Black v England rugby game commencing at 2.30pm.

We thoroughly enjoyed the game - despite being quite high up and behind the goal posts & slightly to the right.The All Blacks really took control of the game, the English lacked any flare , but we loved the atmosphere and the singing.

We headed home - standing in long queues and arriving home by 7.00 pm. So we are the Grand Slam holders again. Not the most fabulous attacking team - but an excellent defensive team!
We watched a lıttle televison prior to bed.


Sunday 30th November. Up at 9.00 am and Kevin packed up a box to send home and to make our luggage lighter for Egypt We had soup & buns for lunch and we spent some time on the computer. We went off to Hyde Park at 4 pm to see the Traditional German Xmas Market at the Christmas Wonderland. It was areally cold wınters day.

There were wooden chalets selling hand craftedtoys, ceramics, jewellery, ornaments & the smell of roasted nuts, gingerbread, piklets, roasted pork and mulled wine. There's a big ferris wheel and heaps of rides and ice skating also. İt was a great festive evening out. We had roast pork and potatoes and bacon for tea there, yummy! We phoned both Mom's and also Sarah - was great to hear their voices.


Monday 1st December. Slept in till 8.00 am. The man from excess luggage arrived and picked up the box thats going home to N.Z. We completed some jobs on line and İ wrote some Xmas cards. Then we took off to visit some places in London - first off to Abby Road to walk the Zebra Crossing the Beatles walked ın the 60's and their recording studio ın Abby Rd.

Next we visited Baker Street to see the statue of Sherlock Holmes - that famous detective. Our next stop was to Temple to visit the Southern Speights Bar that travelled over from Dunedin. We just had time for a walk along the Thames as it was getting dark & cold. Home by 5 pm.We had a lovely dinner wıth Ailson & Don chatting and listening to them.


Tuesday 2nd December. We were up and off by 10.00 am via the Piccadilly line to Heathrow Terminal 3. We left at 1.45 pm & arrived at 1.00 am in Dubai. We found some chairs like sun loungers and made ourselves comfy for a snooze. Not that wonderful. But the Dubai Airport is fabulous and brand new, only opened ın October.

In London Again (24th - 28th Nov).

A full on week as we both worked each day. Kevin had a full work of supply teaching at various schools around London so it was a busy week for both of us. We would be up at 5.30 am and away by 6.35 am most days to get to our work stations.

We would be back at Acton by around 5.30 pm and often we would have a quick check of emails at an internet cafe then have some tea and watch some TV. We went to Shepherds Bush one evening to see a movie and a meal out. The weather is starting to get cold and dark by 4 pm most days and so its been an uneventful week.

We left Acton on the Thursday 27th to come & stay with Don & Alison Sowman (N.Zers) in Knightsbridge. I took my travel bags with me to work and then headed to Knightsbridge at end of day while Kevin came back to Acton after work and picked up our remaining luggage before meeting up.

Kevin got called up to be on the B.B.C. London 94.9 FM radio "Scrum time" programme. So he went off to do that on Thursday night at 9 pm.

I got given an invite to the Kensington, Chelsea & Nottinghill N.H.S. Christmas Party on Friday night. So off I went & met up with the District Nurses & we had a great evening of food , wine , music & dance. I walked in the door at 11.30 pm.

Kevin went to have a few beers with the teachers from Bellerbys on Friday in Greenwich and picked up our remaining gear which had been stored at Bellerbys College. It was 11 pm or so before we were both back at Knightsbridge.

A Weekend in Stevenage ( 22nd & 23rd Nov).

Friday 21st Nov. We went to Stevenage for a weekend of fun & relaxation with friends we had made on our Switzerland by Rail trip - Steve and Doreen & their son David. Steve met us at the train station at 6.45 pm & we went back to their lovely place and had a lovely tea & chat with Doreen & Steve.

Saturday 22nd Nov. We slept in till 9.30 am lovely! After breakfast we went off on an explore together. It was a cold day even though the sun appeared from time to time. We were in Hertfordshire & visited the American Cemetery & War Memorial Chapel in Cambridgeshire. A very moving experience. The Chapel has a 540 sq ft Map showing the Atlantic Sea & Air Routes used by American Forces during the 2nd World War.


Next we went to Willingham and visited its 14th Century Church. Its notable for its Hammerbeam roof and adorned with its carved angels. We passed over the Great River Ouse & arrived at St Ives. We saw the Medieval Bridge, one of only four in England. - its very stiking !

We stopped & had scones with clotted cream & a cuppa tea here. We carried on to Huntingdonshire & saw this Historic Town. We saw where Oliver Cromwell was taught - its now a Museum and also the " Falcon Inn" - which is thought to have been Cromwell's headquarters during the Civil War.

We also visited St Mary's and All Saints a 13th century cathedral here.It was 4 pm & now getting dark , so we headed home via Bedfordshire on the A1 back to Stevenage, passing on the way the first garden city in England - Letchworth.

We watched the rugby on T.V. - All Blacks v Wales. It was a good game which we won. Then we headed off out to Graveley to the Pub - "The Wagon & Horse" for tea. We had a great time. Home again to watch the rugby highlights of the South African v England game. Poor old England were soundly beaten 42-6.

Sunday 23rd Nov. Again we slept in till 9.30 am. We awoke to a light sprinkling of snow and it was very cold. We headed off to visit St Alban's a delightful town in Hertfordshire. We visited the St Albans Cathedral & Abbey Church, which is one of the oldest recorded sites of Christian Prayer in Britain. It was built between 1077 - 1115 in the Norman Romanesque Style. Its not a museum, but a lively church in which people come to worship.

We walked down the High street of the town also. It began raining so we headed home by 4 pm.
Doreen cooked a typical Roast Beef Dinner for us with Yorkshire pudding as well, which was delicious ! Steve dropped us at the train station at 7.45 pm to catch the 8.06 pm train back to Kings Cross Station. We arrived back in Acton just before 10 pm. We'd had a terrific weekend with great friends, great food & interesting outings! Thanxs so much guys!

In London Again ( 17th Nov - 21st Nov).

Monday 17th Nov. I had a full weeks work at the St Charles Hospital as a District Nurse. Kevin was not working today so dropped our passports off to the Jordan Embassy for our visa's.

Tuesday 18th Nov. Kevin got called to work at Edmonton County School Enfield - Harrogate area for day teaching.

Wednesday 19th Nov. Kevin had a free day so went back and collected the passports .

Thursday 20th Nov. Kevin had said he was unavailable for work today in order that he could go and watch Wellington College 1st XV play Bedford College 1st XV ( 2 private schools ) at Crawthorne, just out of Reading.

He met up with the Wellington College Deputy HM Robin Dyer during the game and sneaked into the after match with tea and sammies as well. Wellington College was where the NPBHS 1st XV played on the UK tour of 2002 so Kevin was keen to re visit this famous school set in magnificent surrounds

Friday 21st Nov. Kevin got work at Acton High School today. I met Kevin at Hammersmith station after work and then we travelled to Kings Cross and onto Stevenage for the weekend.

A Weekend in Dublin, Ireland.( 15th & 16th Nov )

Saturday 15th November. We were up real early at 3.15 am to get showered and packed up and walked to the Acton Underground Station by 4.50 am to catch the train to Victoria Station. Next we got the Gatwick Express to the airport and flew off to Dublin at 8.50 am. We arrived at 10 am and were met by Karen and taken back to her house. It was great catching up on the news.

She gave us her house key to let ourselves in again. So at 2.30 pm we headed off to Croke Park for the rugby. We stopped at a wee pub and had a beer & watched the Aussie V England game on the large T.V.screen.

Karen went to the rugby with her clients - telecom N.Z.

We walked to the stadium and found our seats. Its a really nice venue, we enjoyed the pre - match entertainment. ( 3 tennors singing with 2 bands) The game was a bit disappointing as it was stop, start, stop & the referee blew the whistle heaps. The A.B.s won so we were happy!

Afterwards we walked back towards home, stopping off for another beer in a wee pub & listened to some Irish singing & music. We walked home arriving at 9.30 pm. We had some peanut butter sandwiches and a cup of tea. Then good old bed! Karen came home later as she had gone on down into town with her clients.



Sunday 16th November. We slept in till 9.00 am - very nice ! Up & breakfasted & then off to explore Dublin town. Karen dropped us off in town as she had some shopping to do. We arranged to meet at 4 pm at St Stephen's shopping complex.

We walked down Grafton Street & saw the Molly Malone Statue, Trinity College (1592), the Bank of Ireland (1729) with no windows, the Steyne Stone, the Pearse St Garda Station ( 1910 Police station).

We walked over the O'Connell Bridge (1880) over the River Liffey. We walked down O'Connell Street and saw the O'Connell Monument (1882) and the Parnell Monument (1911) and the Spire (2003) and their Christmas Tree ( that cost Dublin E350,000).

We then walked back along Bachelors Walk next to the River Liffey to the Ha'Penny Bridge (1816).We crossed it and went into the Temple Bar area. It has narrow lanes, cobblestoned streets, restaurants and boutique shops and also a Bookfair, Theatre Center and Irish Film Center.

Next we walked up Lord Edward Street passing City Hall (1779) and Dublin Castle (1204).We also saw Christ Church Cathedral(1030). We carried on walking down to St Patrick's Cathedral (1192). A lovely old cathedral situated in a delightful Park. We decided to head back so cut across Stephen Street which brought us back to Stephen's Green area,where we met Karen at 4 pm. We were a little early so wandered over to the park - St Stephens Green (1663). It has a lovely old Arch at its entrance called the Dublin Fusiliers Arch (1904). It has a lake and bordered gardens - lots of families & couples were strolling here.
We met Karen & she dropped us at the Airport for our "Aer Lingus" flight back to London - 6.50 pm.We arrived back in Acton at 10.30 pm.We had thoroughly enjoyed our weekend adventure!

Back In London Town. ( 10th Nov - 14th Nov )

I had a full week of work. I am working as a District Nurse at St Charles Hospital covering the Kensington, Chelsea & Notting Hill areas - from 0800 - 1630. Quite busy seeing between 7 - 9 patients per day. I have throughly enjoyed it! And No I didn't get the use of a car, its good old walking here.

We are staying at the Windmill pub in Acton and this is to be our base for the time being.

Kevin got called in to do relief teaching on Wednesday & Thursday to a school in the West Ham area of London. He also took our passports in to the Egyptian Embassey for a tourist visa and picked them up again on the Friday. The week flew by!

The Best Of Spain & Portugal. ( Oct 28 - Nov 9 )

Tuesday 28 October. We awoke at 3.30 am, showered and left to get to Acton underground by 4.30 am as the train left there just before 5.00 am to Victoria Station - then via the Gatwick Express to arrive at Gatwick Airport at 6.00 am. We flew out to Madrid at 8.00 am & arrived there at 11.30 am (Spanish time which is 1 hr ahead of London).

We were met by a representative & transferred to our Hotel, arriving at 1 pm. It was raining & cool. I had a lovely bath & relax & then an afternoon nap as quite tired out by now.


We went off to the Meeting at 7.30 pm with the Tour Guide - Paul. Next we had dinner with our fellow travellers at 8.30 pm. It was a lovely buffet dinner & we enjoyed chatting with our fellow travellers. There are 42 people on this tour, the largest one we've ever had! So interesting it should be!

Wednesday 29th October. We were up at 6.00 am and departed at 8.00 am. It was a short drive to Toledo, the ancient capital which is situated on a hill surrounded by the Tagus River. We enjoyed seeing it with a local guide. It was made famous in El Greco's painting and it is a beautiful place, full of Spanish History & Art.

Toledo is known for its steel products and even the USA Army gets their ceremonial swords from Toledo. We visited a "Damascene" factory - they produce beautiful gilded golden inlaid steel products - ie: jewellery. El Casa is the Royal Palace here, but was destroyed in 1936 and it is now being restored for a Military Museum.

We visited St Thomas Church with El Greco's famous painting also. ( painted in 1586)
Next we crossed the Guadalquirir River for the Olive trees of the rolling Andalucian Hills and on to Granada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It was covered in a sprinkle of snow too! Very Beautiful!

Andalucia produces 80% of Olive Oil production in Spain. Granada is well known for its universities. We dumped our bags and went out to explore Granada for a while before dinner. We saw the Plaza Gran Capitan & Plaza Trinidad & Plaza Pasiegas and the Cathedral. Then we had dinner at 7.30 pm with everyone.


Thursday 30th October. We were up at 6.00 am and off to enjoy a visit to the Al Hambra with a local guide. Its a walled city with palaces & other buildings & is a summer complex built by the Moorish Kings. It was very beautiful with courtyards, Towers, gardens, rooms, & Palaces.

We carried on & enjoyed the scenic drive along the Costa de Sol via Malaga. We stopped & had an hour here to explore. Its a delightful seaside resort with fabulous beaches. We went on to Fuengirola, our destination for the next 2 nights. Kevin and I hopped in the Hotel Pool & had a nice swim for an hour or so.

Friday 31st October. Today was a day at leisure in Fuengirola. It was raining heaps, despite this we went downtown for a look around and to use the internet. But we got really wet - had to try & dry our clothes and shoes out. So ended up spending the day relaxing , reading, writing letters, watching T.V. & even had an afternoon nap! Went to dinner at 7.30 pm with all the others.


Saturday 1st November. We were up & away by 9.30 am, after a nice sleep in. It was still drizzling with rain. We headed off to visit the Strategic Rock Fortress of Gibraltar. We had 3 hrs to spend here. We took a Taxi ( with 4 others) up to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar to see the fantastic view & the monkeys.

We also visited the caves on the rock. Concerts are often held here as the acoustics are wonderful. We then went back down to the city for an hour or so f more exploring. It is a very British type environment and we posted cards with the Gibraltar stamp on it for both of our Moms.

Gibraltar is U.K. territory, so we had to go through border & customs control. They took 2 bags off the bus to scan & then we were off. We went on through the sherry region of the costa de la Luz towards Seville.

We dropped our bags in our Hotel room then headed off with Carol & John (Aussies) to see the Cathedral Giralda & the Alcazar.


Sunday 2nd November. Today was a free day to explore Seville! We were up at 8.00 am & breakfasted then off to explore one of the most colourful cities of Spain. We walked down Alfonso road to the river & walked along the side of it on a beautiful day, watching the canoeists & rowers on the river.

We met up with an English couple Eddy & Anita and carried on with them seeing a few other sights along the way for a while. We visited the Maria Luisa Park, the Plaza de Espana, Universidad, the Alfonso Hotel (the most expensive Hotel), the Jewish Quarter, Plaza del Salvador & La Santa Iglesia Cathedral. We got home by 4 pm & Kevin had a swim in the Hotel's pool. I had a lovely bath! We had dinner with everyone at 7.30 pm. It was a great day in Seville!


Monday 3rd November. We got up at 7.00 am and departed at 9.15 am for Portugal. We passed through the fertile plains of the Alentejo and headed to the beautiful hill top town of Evora. It has lovely cobbled streets, arches, brillant white houses and its fortified wall. Its a wonderful Moorish City. The Roman's transformed Evora into an Imperial Town.

They left several signs of their passage - the roman temple called "Templo de Diana" - stands out. The temple of the Goddess Diana the Huntress. Cardinal King Henrique founded the first University in 1559 here in Evora.

We saw the cathedral - a Roman Gothic Building, Giraldo Square inside the Historical Centre, Sertorio Square - City Hall, a Salavador Church and the Silver Water Aqueduct monument (1533) So Evora is a very interesting place, its classified by Unesco in 1986 World Hertiage.

We continued on our way and arrived in Lisbon at 5 pm. We dropped our bags in our room then went out with Carol & John for an explore. We found a Burger King and had a crispy chicken burger for tea. We have a wonderful Hotel room, sitting room, balcony and lovely ensuite - very nice!


Tuesday 4 th November. We were up early and off on a guided city tour by 8.30 am with a local guide. We visited Alfama ( the old town ) Rossio Square, Pracado Comercio, Belem area ( Bethleham ), Torre de Belem ( Belem Tower), Pradrao dos Descobrimentos ( Discoverys Statue), Mosteiro dos Jeronimos ( Monastery of Jeronimo), the Moorish Citadel and other highlights.

We got dropped back at our Hotel at 11.30 am and we were free to explore ourselves, so we did!
We went off on the Metro to the Oriente Stop to see the Exhibition Center of 1998 at Parque das Nacoes. We saw the Oceanario, the Torre Vasco da Gama and had a cup of tea sitting in front of the Targus River which Lisbon sits on.

Then we got back on the Metro to Rossio Stop to explore the center of town. We saw Praca da Figueira, & the Elevator de Santa Justa - an elevator in the middle of some streets designed by G. Eiffel from the 19th Century for a fantastic view of Lisbon. We saw the Praca do Comercio and walked up the hill to see Se de Lisboa (cathedral) and Castel Sao Jorge (old walled city).

We also spent 30 mins in an internet cafe.

We walked along Rue da Madalena & Rue da Conceicao good shopping streets. We caught the metro home to stop Roma and our Hotel by 5 pm. Kevin checked out the swimming pool , it only had a few feet of water in it....hahaha.

We met up with Carol & John by 6 pm and went out for tea around the neighbourhood. We sent a birthday card to Ethel for her 87 th birthday when we found a post office.


Wednesday 5th November. We awoke at 4.45 am and turned on the T.V. to see Obama had won the election by 58% of the vote. We have alot of Americans on our bus - so they were happy! We departed at 7.45 am and headed northward to Fatima ( a famous religious catholic sanctuary). It was very impressive! The Square is very large for thousands and thousands of pilgrims that visit on the Holy Days.


Next we headed on to Oporto, on the Northern Banks of the River Douro. We arrived at 1.15 pm and dropped our bags as usual & ate our breadrolls for lunch. Next we got the 502 Bus out to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean. We visited the Castelo Quedo there. Its a bit like Ngamotu Beach, in New Plymouth only larger.

We spent 45 mins here and I paddled my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. Next we caught the bus back to our Hotel. We found our way to the Metro and caught it to the town center - stop San Bento. We got out and walked down Rua Mouzinhio de Silveira to the River Douro. For 10 Euro we got a ride down the river cruising under the 6 bridges for 45 mins - it was really good value.


Next we visited the Cathedral Terreiso da se. A very old & under restoration church but the view was amazing! Then we headed back to the Hotel on the metro - stop Casa da Musica. We found a supermarket nearby & bought breadrolls, ham, cheese & Bananas for our tea.We were quite tired out as we'd done quite a bit of walking up hill and down dale today.


Thursday 6th November. We were up and departed at 9.00 am today. It was very foggy first thing as we passed through rolling hills and mountains - Fuentes de Onoro - Portugals only natural Ski Resort and through Ciudad Rodrigo. We crossed the border back in to Spain again.We reached the ancient and beautiful university town of Salamanca round 3.30 pm.

We got to our rooms at our hotel and dropped our bags as usual and headed off to explore Salamanca with Carol & John. We walked through the lovely Plaza Mayor and saw the Iglesia de St Martin ( a cathedral), Universidad (university college), Casa de las Conchas (house of Shells), and down past the Universidad of Geografia & Historia, Catedral Nueva to the river - Rio Tormes - to the beautiful Puente Romano (Roman Bridge).

We visited the Casa lis Museo Modernista ( filled with Art Nuvo - similar to Napier N.Z.). We arrived back to our hotel in time for dinner with everyone at 8 pm.


Friday 7th November. We left Salamanca at 9.oo am for the fortified Avila. It has a beautiful Roman wall surrounding the Old Town. We visited the cathedral and St Theresa's Convent. We actually walked atop the actual fortified wall for an amazing view over Avila. We wandered the narrow cobblestoned streets and found a wonderful fruit & vegie market at the Central Plaza. We had one and a half hrs free time to explore Avila.

Then we continued on to Segovia to see this Medieval Town sitting atop a rocky hill. We had been here before but it had been only a 1 hr stop for lunch. This time we had 2 hrs to exlpore freely. It has the most fabulous Aquaduct erected in the 1st CenturyA.D. Its a most impressive work of engineering supplying water to the higher lying parts of the town.

We visited Casa de los Picos - so called due to the diamond shapes studding the building, Church of San Martin, Church of San Sebastian & the Cathedral of Segovia (a massive late Gothic limestone structure). It was erected in 1525 by Emperor Charles V.

The Alcazar is an impressive castle for the Kings of Spain. Now it is a Artillery Museum.

The Tower of Hercules (a Dominican Convent) was very impressive too. At 3.30 pm after running around seeing these buildings we met up with the bus and drove the next one and a half hrs to reach Madrid by 5 pm.

Again we dropped our bags and headed off to the supermarket with John & Carol. We ended up in their room having our breadrolls & chatting as we watched T.V. together.


Saturday 8th November. Today we had a free day to explore at our leisure. Madrid is the capital of Spain and its 2,180 ft above sea level - so Spaniards say Madrid is the Nearest Thing To Heaven. Its population is 5 million people. We had a sightseeing excursion with a local guide from 9 am - 11 am.

We saw Plaza de Toros de las Ventas (bullring), Torre Europa (tall sky scrapers), Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Real Madrid soccer stadium), Plaza de Colon (Christopher Columbius Square) up Gran Via Avenue to Plaza de Espana ( monument to Cervantes) and also the Palacio Real ( Royal Palace). Then we had the remainder of the day to ourselves to explore how we wished - which we did!


We set off down Calle Mayor to the fabulous Plaza Mayor and on to Plaza Puerta Del Sol and up to Plaza de colon to see Christopher Columbius statue more closely & to visit the museum Arqueologico, then back to Fuente de Cibeles ( another square) to see the Puerta de Alcala (archway) at Plaza de la Independencia.

Next we strolled through Parque de El Retiro - a lovely Park with lake & Monument Alfonso XII and Palaciq de Cristal ( a huge glass house) and the Estatua de Angel Caido. It had beautiful trees all in Autumn colours and was a perfect day.

Next we visited the Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia to get some culture and view some famous paintings and Art work, we especially wanted to see Pablo Picasso's room and his huge painting. Kevin was definately not impressed. He reckoned he could do better with his eyes closed, but this is art I suppose.

After this we were becoming weary so took the Metro back to the Hotel. We caught the Blue line to Gran Via then changed to the Green line to Marques de Vadilo ( our Hotel stop), walking in the door at 5 pm. We just had breadrolls in our room - I think i'm beginning to get sick of them!!

At 7 pm we met the others in the Hotel for a beer and farewells as our Spanish Trip is over now!We had an excellent adventure and made some wonderful friends!

Sunday 9th November. We were up at 7.30 am, breakfasted and saying goodbyes to the people leaving for home. We got a bus transfer to the Airport at 10 am, as our flight left Spain at 12.30 pm. We arrived at Gatwick at 1.30 pm and arrived back in Acton at 4.30 pm.

We'd had a wonderful 13 days travelling around Southern Spain and Portugal, now its back to work this coming week!

Back in London ( Oct 12 - Oct 27 )

Hi again. Its now my turn to update the blog. We returned to London after our Russian experience on Sun Oct 12 and went straight to our accommodation at Acton Town ( West London ).

This is a small pub ( The Windmill ) and we have a twin bed room which has all the essentials we require. A shared bathroom and toilet. No breakfast provided but being a hotel we can have meals there if we wish.

This 2 week period has seen us both working ( June as a District Nurse in Kensington,Chelsea and Notting hill and me doing supply teaching ) where ever I have been asked to go.
Each day we would get up early, shower and then go off to work via the underground system. Some of the schools I have worked at have been a real eye opener as to discipline of the kids but its all part of the overall plan to experience as much as we can.

We also have used the time to catch up with people we have met and to just relax. I have used the Community swim pool a few times for exercise and I also saw Harlequins play and get beaten by London Irish at the Stoop (Beside Twickenham ) one cold Saturday.

We have also visited a couple of museums we hadn't seen earlier, watched more TV, done some more emails, read more newspapers, as well as having a pleasant Sunday roast at a nice riverside hotel near Brentwood with friends ( Don and Alison Sowman ) both NZ'ers living here.

It has been a good break from the travel but we have not yet got around to putting any photos on the blog, these are all on disks though.

More Adventures - Russia Unplugged - October 2008.

Once again Hello everyone from Kevin & I. Our latest travels saw us spend 9 days in Russia.

October 3rd Friday. We had a day in London tidying up things prior to heading off to Russia. We were staying at Kensal Green hostel 639 in Harrow road for a couple days before our Russian trip. We visited Bellerbys College to pick up our mail and used the internet & caught up on some chores there too. We had tea at Weatherspoons in Greenwich & got home by 9 pm. That was after delays on the Bakerloo Underground line.


October 4th. Saturday. We were up at 4.00 am showered & dressed & packed up and heading off to the Kensal Green Tube Station at 5.30 am to catch the train to Heathrow Terminal 5 for our flight out at 9.00 am to Moscow, Russia.

There were no delays and we arrived at 3.30 pm (Moscow time) ( The flight was 3 1/2 hrs long ). We met our "On the Go " guide & went by van with 7 others to our Hotel. We dropped off our gear & headed off to have some tea ( pizza & coke) and back by 8.00 pm for a meeting with our Tour Director - Katya. There are 12 of us altogether - 2 South Africans, 1 English girl, 7 Aussies & 2 Kiwis Thats us.

After the meeting at 9.30 pm we all headed off via the Metro into the Red Square to see the Kremlin at night. It was amazing & quite beautiful. We had a beer in a local Russian Restaurant altogether. We chatted with one another making friends, then again caught the metro home again. To bed by 12.30, a very long day today!


October 5th Sunday. We got up at 7.30 am after a lovely sleep. We went to brekky and met the others at 9.30 am, where we all caught the metro into Place Revolutsil - Red Square. We stood in line for a short while to view Lenin - he is embalmed in a Mausoleum and you file past to view him. Next we saw the Tomb & Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, Gum - the largest department store, St Basil's Church & the Kremlin.

We walked along the Moscow River also visiting Kitay Gorod, viewing the K.G.B. building, the Treasury building and Teatralnaya Place. We took off on our own after this short guided tour while the others had lunch. We explored the Moscow River again & walked along & saw the beautiful Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

We crossed over the Bolshoi Kamenny Bridge and walked down to see Peter the Great's statue. Its really very beautiful. We walked back up to Bolotnaya Park - very nice in its autum colours. Next we walked back to the Red Square by 6 pm to meet up with the others for our excursion to see the Moscow Circus. This was an excellent show which we both enjoyed. It had acrobats, gymnasts, jugglers, trapeze artists, horses, magicians & motor cyclists too. We got back to the Hotel by 11 pm.


October 6th Monday. We were up at 7.00 am for breakfast and after this we met up with the others at 9.30 am. We went in to Red Square again via the metro to meet our local guide - Irena for a detailed tour of the Kremlin. (10.00 - 12 midday ). Its very interesting cause its like a small town inside a wall.

We took off on our own again and took the metro to Smolenskaya stop & saw a small Cathedral and another one of the 7 Sisters ( a group of buildings styled on the Empire state buildings of the USA. The Communists ( USSR ) wanted to do one better ( More like 7 better) than the yanks so decided to build 7 of these buildings to outdo the good ol USA ) and these are scattered around Moscow.

We walked past several Embassy's including the British Embassy with a statue of none other than "Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson". A photo was necessary here before we walked over the Movocerbatsky Bridge over the Moskva River ( Moscow River) and saw Sister No 2 then looked the other way and saw Sister No 3.

We walked along beside the river till we got down in the Kievskaya area. There was a huge Fountain here , which was very nice. It was a lovely warm day here today - 20 degrees.
We got the metro again and got off at the Oktyabraskaya stop - we saw another church & also Corkey Park ( made famous from a spy movie by Hollywood), there was also a huge statue of Lenin here.

Again we carried on the metro to the Komsomolskaya stop near the Kazansky Railway Station. We saw another 2 Sisters - 4 & 5. Also there was a huge flea market and lots of homeless people here as well. Again we got the metro to meet up with the others by 5.30 pm.

Katya our guide took us to Smolenskaya to walk down a famous shopping street - Arbat Street. We stopped and had tea & a beer in a typical Russian Cafe. Then we got back on the metro to go & view several stations with their fabulous art - Mosaics & Candalabras etc... They were very nice but really elaborate. It was to promote how marvellous the Communists are! We arrived home by 10.30 pm.

October 7th Tuesday. We slept in today only getting up at 9.30 am & to brekky by 10.00 am We had a relaxing time in our room & decided not to look at anymore flea markets & plus it was raining today. We met up with the others at 12 noon and went off to the " Great Patriotic War Museum" - not intending to go in, but because it was so wet we bought a ticket each. We went round on our own as the others had paid for the local guide and we did this for a fraction of the price offered.

It was very interesting seeing the events of the Soviet ( or Russian) history of the 2nd world war and how influential they were in halting the Nazi invasion of Russia. We saw the Hall of Memory with the names of Russian Hero's. Also the famous Katusha - Tanks, Cannons, Mortars & Military Vehicles.

There was a wonderful Monumental Memorial outside the complex as well. We caught the metro back to the Hotel and had something to eat prior to meeting up at 5.00 pm with the others - ready for the transfer by bus to the Leningradsky Railway Station to catch the overnight train to Pscov at 7.30 pm.

October 8th Wednesday. We had spent an interesting evening together sleeping in tiny bunks on the train - 6 of us to a cabin. " A good Communist Experience" ha ha ha.... We arrived at our Pscov Hotel at 7.45 am and had brekky & a shower before heading off to visit Pechory Monastery & then on to a Russian Banya ( sauna).

The Monastery was very beautiful, it even had caves which were working churches to. Pilgrim's by the thousands gather here on Holy Days. The Banya was terrific! We had some food first then went into the sauna (hot+++) then out into an Ice Cold Lake then back into the sauna. Then we were beaten with silver birch leaves, then into the sauna again & out into the Ice Cold Lake. It was certainly a great experience, way out in provincal Russia off any kind of tourist location.

Next we had our 2nd course of food - chicken kebab's delicious!! A wonderful day was had by everyone. We got back to the Hotel at 5 pm and had a relax till 7.30 pm. Then we went out for tea at a traditional Russian Restaurant with Russian singing and dancing. Home by 10 pm tired out!

October 9th Thursday. Again up early because we were departing Pscov for St Petersberg by 9.00 am. We just had a drive drive day today arriving in St Petersberg by 2.30 pm. We drove past plain flat unused farmlands with pretty delaperdated buildings and an uninteresting landscape.Once at the Hotel we had a rest. We got some money changed, used the internet for 1/2 hr, & got some food from the supermarket.

At 5.00 pm we caught the minibus into the city with the others who were going on a Cossack Show excursion, that we had decided against. Caroline also was not doing it , so the 3 of us explored around the St Petersberg River Neva & crossed the Dvortsovyy Bridge over to Varilevskiy Island.

We happened upon 2 weddings, as we wanderd around seeing all the fine architecture, walking along the Universiteskaya where we saw alot of policemen & cossack's all dressed up. Spotlights & cameras etc.. so asked what was happening - apparently "Interpol" was having a celebration there. We found a cafe & had a cup of tea then met up with the others for the bus ride home again at 8.15 pm. We arrived at our Hotel " Pocchr" at 9.30 pm.

October 10th. Friday. We were up and off by 10.00 am by coach for an included city tour. We saw the famous Church of the Spilled Blood, St Isaac Cathedral, Nevski Prospekt ( famous shopping street), Vasilevskiy Island with there universities. ( St Petersberg has 104 universities), The Winter Palace, The Hermitage & Dvorcovaja Square. Also the " Aurora" cruiser & Gostinyy Dvor ( or the great Bazaar)

We stopped for 1 hour to grab some lunch, then met up again for a more detailed guided tour of the Winter Palace & the Hermitage with Katya our "on the go " guide. We saw the Palace interiors - all amazing. We saw Russian, French, Spanish, German, British, Flemish, Dutch, Italian, Byzantium & Egypt works in the Hermitage.

Its next to the Louvre in its size of its collections. We had free time from 4.30 pm onwards. We walked around St Petersberg some more. Dekabristov Park was very beautiful in its autumn splendor. We wandered down Nevskiy Prospeki and had a look in the shop windows. We got tired and and met up with Simone & Erica ( the South Africans) and since it was drizzly and cold decided to catch the metro home, which we did.

We got some food from the supermarket & had our tea in our room. It had been a rainy overcast day & a little cooler in temperature today.

October 11th Saturday. We got up at 9.00 am as we had all day to explore under our own steam. We headed off to the St Peter & Paul Fortress. It was where the 1st city was settled & is now a State Museum of History of St Petersberg. The city was founded by " Peter the Great" in 1703 and was the capital of the Russian Empire. The Fortress has not been the scene of an actual war and while we were there we saw some Russian soldiers marching and doing all kinds of tricks with their rifles on a parade ground.

It also has the famous Cathedral Of the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul. We spent quite a while wandering around here, we saw a parade with band, flags and even rifle juggling - very impressive. Next we walked across the River Neva to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and on to Nevskiy Prospekt. It was drizzling and quite cool so decided to head home, it was 2.30 pm now.

We had some lunch & then did some internet catch up. We got back to the Hotel by 5 pm & changed as we had to meet at the "Church of Spilled Blood" at 6.30 pm for the excursion to the Russian Ballet. We got changed into our No.1's and used the metro to meet up at 6.30 pm as arranged and then we walked to the teatre to watch the Ballet. The ballet was just superb. It was a ballet about 'Spartacus' and it involved some great choreography and fight scenes as well as the usual elegant stuff.

We arrived home by 11 pm and we all got together for drinks as it was our last night together. We were trying different drinks ie; Vodka, Sherry & Champagne & Beer... a good time was had reliving funny moments on our tour. To bed by 12.30 am.

October 12th Sunday. We slept in till 8.30 am - lovely. Then up & farewelled Simone & Erica off to South Africa and Ross to Estonia, then we had breakfast. We lazed the morning away - tidying up & repacking our bags again. We headed off at 2 pm to catch our flight out at 5 pm.

We arrived in London at 5.30 pm due to Russia being 3 hours ahead in time. We caught the tube train to Shepherds Bush where our Hostel is & lugged our gear up 2 floors to our room for the night. We dropped our bags & went out & found a Aussie Pie Shop and had one. - Delicious!!

We had a walk aroumd Shepherds Bush before heading back to the Hostel and bed. Our room has its own shower & toliet & hand basin so is fine! We are booked in at this hostel for just one night. Tomorrow we pack up and go to Acton Town where we are booked in for a week so we can establish a base for more work.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Russia & learnt heaps & had a wonderful guide in Katya to teach us about the Russian way!

We are now going to be based in London for a couple of weeks where we will be looking for some supply work.

We will then be heading off for a 13 day tour of Southern Spain / Portugal from Oct 28 until Nov 9. After this it will be back to London and more work until we depart on our homeward journey on Dec 2.

Its a nice area Acton Town, with several food outlets, internet cafes, a swimming pool nearby, a couple of Laundrettes and is also close to Shepards Bush so we will probably base ourselves here till we return home.

We will be seeing the All Blacks play Ireland in Dublin ( Nov 15 ) and are in a ballot for the NZ V England match on Nov 29 as well so are hopeful to see that match also.

Until next time Cheers

Our European Discovery Adventure.

Howdee everyone here I am again at long last. Our travels this time take us on a 30 day tour of several European countries.

Wednesday 3 Sept. We commenced our European Discovery Trip today by meeting up with everyone. We enjoyed the drive to Dover and enjoyed the Channel crossing on the ferry to Calais, France. We carried on down to Paris. This was our first stop.

We enjoyed going out for a walk to see Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, up to the Troccadero and seeing the Seine. We were with Anne & Peter, Craig & Jeanie and Nicky & Phil.We found a lovely Thai restaurant for our meal. We enjoyed our evening very much & its great to be back in beautiful Paris again!

Thursday 4 Sept. Today we had Paris at Leisure. We independently explored Paris again with our Aussie friends Peter & Anne. We visited Madeline ( a wonderful church) the Opera House, Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, Sacre-Coear, Place-de-la-Republic & Place-de-la- Bastille. We had a great day walking round seeing the Artisans at work in the markets of Montmartre.

There were lots of fascinating narrow streets & outdoor cafes which give a real flavour of Paris life. In the evening we went to the La Novelle Eve for a traditional cabaret show of French Entertainment & Dinner & a glass of French Champagne (similar to the Moulin Rouge).It was great with wonderful acts and the world famous "Can-can".We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Friday 5 Sept. We drove to the Loire Valley & at Tours we viewed its famous Cathedral. It was a long bus journey today. Next we continued on to Cognac to visit the distillery producing Cognac in an original French Chateaux. Then we arrived at Bordeaux our Destination for the night.
We had dinner altogether. Kevin went for a walk & found an internet cafe here.

Saturday 6 Sept. We continued on to Biarritz a lovely sea side resort. We bumped into some N.Zers from Mt Maunganui there for some S.L.S. Boat Races & chatted to them. Next we carried on to Pamplona, Spain. After arriving at our hotel we went out for a walk to see the running of the bulls route.

We visited the Plaza de Castillo, Basilica St Ignacio, The Monument a los Fueros, and we saw the Plaza de Toros (bullring) We also saw a Medieval Festival & Markets in Plaza St Francisco & Plaza Consistorial.We really enjoyed ourselves mixing with the locals and attempting to speak Spanish with them.

Sunday 7 Sept. We were up early and off to Madrid today. We passed through very dry country side. On the way we visited Segovia which has an Old Roman Aqueduct there which is quite spectacular. We arrived in Madrid & had the evening free, so we caught the Bus 53 in to explore the city.

We saw the Alocha Train Station, Cathedral Notra Sara de la Almundena, Plaque de Sol & Plaque Mayor.We had gone out with Peter & Anne again as we all get on well together. We enjoyed finding a little restaurant with the locals who spoke no english, so tried out what we had learnt.

Monday 8 Sept. We had a full day in Madrid today. First off we went on a morning sightseeing tour with a local guide. From 10.00 am onwards we were free. So off we went & caught the Speed Train for the 30 min trip to Toledo - a walled city and ancient Castilian Capital by the Tagus river. El Greco the painter made famous .

On the way home we found another back street restaurant for local foods & again used our little Spanish to order our meal.

Tuesday 9 Sept. After brekky we crossed the spanish Meseta & next the Gorges of Jalon. We continued past vineyards of Catalonia & the mountains of Montserrant to arrive at Barcelona.

We went on a tour with a local guide & saw Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Temple & Casa Batlio, La Pedrera, the Old Town, the Plaza Espanya & the Palace d'Alfons.

Then we had free time so we visited the Ancient Gothic cathedral in Old Town, La Ribera, La Rambla, El Raval& its famous Historic Monuments & narrow streets and Bohemian Atmosphere & lots of Antique Dealers, bookshops, restaurants, a city hall & the Palace de General. What a fantastic city to explore!!! We both really loved it.


Wednesday 10 Sept. We had Barcelona to ourselves all day long!! The Temp today was 34 degrees- rather nice !! We took off to Placa Espanya via underground train and walked up the long hill passing Museum of National Art which is now in the Palace. We continued on up to the "Hill of the Jews", up to the" Estadi Olimpics"(held in 1992) with fabulous views over Barcelona.

We got back on the underground to Parc Guell with the fabulous Gaudi creations everywhere. Escalators were in the street going up to the Park as it was so steep!!!

Again back down via the Metro to Plaza Catalunya. We checked out this Plaza and walked the Rambles - A very colourful street indeed!

We got back on the Metro and headed for the Christopher Columbus statue next to the waterfront. We walked round Rumbla de Mar & marina. Lots of fantastic boats moored here belonging to the rich & famous. We walked along to their beach- Platja Barceloneta. It was very nice so I paddled my feet in the sea.

We got back onto the Metro again to see Gaudi's "La Pedrera" & "Casa Batllo" buildings. La Pedrera is apartments, full of surprizes, the ground floor is free of walls & the balconys have unusual artwork for the rails. Casa Batllo is a house located in a famous area called "Apple of Discord". Gaudi liked to create artworks out of his buildings in a very creative way.
We got back on the Metro & headed for home, arrived at 6 pm & straight in to the pool for a swim.

Thursday 11 Sept. Up & away as we crossed the French border passing Perpignan into wine producing country. Next we arrived in the Cote d' Amethyste ( the French Riveria) for our stay in Cannes. We had a city tour then were given 2 hours free time to explore Cannes on our own.
We saw the yacht marina & the famous Film Festival Venue. We both had a swim in theMediterranean sea. So warm but really salty.


Friday 12 Sept. We enjoyed a city tour in Nice this morning which included the Promenade des Anglais & the Place Massena & the Avenne Felix Faure. Then we had 4 1/2 hours free to explore Nice. We visited the La Colline du Chateau & Park for a fantastic panorama view of Nice. We walked through Old Town & went for a swim in the Mediterranean sea & sunbathed. The relaxing was just great.

We met up with the others at 3 pm for an afternoons excursion to one of the oldest fortified Villages on the Riviera, perched high above the coastline - Eze Village. We walked to the very top to see a fantastic view along a beautiful coastline. We passed the 3 Corniche roads enjoying a spectacular view along the way. This excursion we had originally not decided to do but Trafalgar had decided to allow all of us to do this for free after having experienced an earlier night in a substandard hotel in Cannes so we gained a freeby.

Next we visited a Perfumery to see how Perfume is made and Kevin bought me a small bottle at factory prices- very nice. Then we enjoyed dinner altogether in a local village restaurant & back home on the bus to Cannes for the night. This was all for free and it was enjoyable.

Saturday 13 sept. We were up early today & our first stop was Monaco & Monte-Carlo. We visited Old Town and saw the Palace & Church with Princess Grace & Grimoudi's tombs and the fabulous Yacht & Boat Marina. From here we headed into Italy. We went past Genoa and on to Pisa where we had 1 hour to explore the Square of Miracles and the Leaning tower of Pisa (la Torre Pendente). At 5.30 pm we arrived at our Hotel in Montecatini. We again had dinner altogether, then went for a walk and a coffee along the street.


Sunday 14 Sept. We went off to see Florence from a fantastic high point, then went on down into the town itself to the Leather & Gold shop. And no we did not purchase anything!

We had free time to spend so went to see the "Duomo Cathedral" with its amazing Dome, the Bell Tower by Giotto and the lovely Pont Vecchio Bridge with the houses on top and the beautiful Signoria Square & the Arno River. We carried on through the Tuscan Vineyards to Rome. Our Hotel was on the North East side so we hitched a lift in with the bus to explore Rome in the evening.

We visited the "Spanish Steps", the "Trevi Fountain", "Victor Emmanuel Square", the "Forum", the "Colosseum", the "Pantheon" & "Piazza Navona". We had a pizza & Beer at a Trattoria nearby. We met up with our Bus and caught a lift home round 9 pm. We had an enjoyable evening out in Rome.

Monday 15 Sept. A full day in Rome today!

We were up early to go on a guided tour - "Highlights of Rome". We visited the Colosseum, really amazing. Next to it is the "Arch of Constantine" a magnificent triple arcaded Arch. We carried on to visit the Vatican City - St Peters' Basilica, the Vatican Palaces, the Vatican Museum & the Sistine Chapel - all amazing with people everywhere! and also a long day on your feet which is quite tiring. Some great sights though and well worth it.

We got home by 4.30 pm and relaxed and had a swim in the Hotel pool. Then we walked round to a Pizzera nearby for tea. While we were in here it poured with and it was quite heavy. It stopped in time for us to walk home again.

Tuesday 16 Sept. We slept in today, just leaving at 9.00 am.
It was a bright sunny day after last night. Our first stop was Monte Cassino for a coffee and then on to Sorrento - Napoli.

We explored here the Piazza Tasso, the Sorrento Port and Marina, the Old Town, the Piazza Antonino and had a great time for 6 hours exploring. At 5 pm we met up with the others and headed off to our Hotel (The Crowne Plaza, an upgrade due to a poor Hotel in Cannes - very nice indeed!! ) We had a swim in the Hotel Pool and the Meditearranean Sea too.

We had dinner altogether tonight as well. Anne, Peter,Kevin and I shared a bottle of French Wine we'd bought and carried from Cannes - we needed to drink it!


Wednesday 17 Sept. We were up early and our morning journey took us to Pompeii. We did not do this excursion as we had done it on our Amalfi Trip, so we explored the town of Pompeii instead. We visited a Basilica and the Pompeii Town Square.

We met up with the others at 11.00 am. We also bumped into our Italian guide - Laurie, we had hugs and kisses and a chat, it was lovely to see her again. We crossed Italy and arrived in the port of Bari at 4.30 pm to catch the overnight ferry for the sea crossing to Greece. The time went forward by 1 hour.


Thursday 18 Sept. We crossed the Ionian Sea and arrived in the Port of Patras at 1 pm.We slept in till 9.30 am, not bothering with brekky. Then we got up and out on top of the ferry at 10 am and had a cuppuchino and relaxed till we arrived at Patras.

Next we had an uneventful drive to Athens, passing the beautiful Rion Antirion Bridge ( built in 2004) and also passing over the Korinthos Canal ( a huge deep canal to enable ships to pass through). We arrived in Athens at our hotel at 5 pm. Kevin went off to use the internet for 1 hr. Our Hotel was in Omonia Square with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes surrounding it.

We went out for an explore and caught the Metro outside the Hotel to Akropoli Stop to see the Acropolis all lit up at night, the Parthenon and the Theatre of Dionysos. We next caught the Metro to Monastiraki Square (but due to lots of restoration happening here) we hopped on the Metro again for home. ( all for 80c each - good value ).


Friday 19 Sept. We got up early and departed at 8.00 am off to Piraeus harbour( Athens) and cruised to Mykonos.

We went ashore via shuttle boat to explore Mykonos. Its only 10 miles long, & 7 miles wide. Its very popular and expensive and its beautiful with the white washed streets , houses and churches with the sky blue doors and domes - it is classic architecture here.
We spent 3 hours here exploring before we caught the shuttle boat back to our ship - the M.S.Aquamarine.

We had dinner aboard at 9.30 pm while our ship cruised to the next island we will visit.


Saturday 20 Sept. We arrived in Rhodes at 8.30 am. We got up and breakfasted and off to explore Rhodes by 9 am, by walking down the gangway. Its called the "Island of Roses" and is the 4th largest Greek Islands. Rhodes is divided into the Old Walled City and the New Town. It has excellent beaches , fine old buildings erected by the Knights of St John.

We had the day to explore here seeing the Palace of the Grand Master, the Street of the Knights, the Suleimen Mosque & the little Old Town shops & cafes.

The closest beach is Elli Beach & another attractive one is Faliraki Beach.We returned to the ship at 2 pm and had some lunch. Kevin had a swim in the ships pool ( Its only but he swam a fair few laps ) & we relaxed till dinner at 7 pm, then cocktails at 8.30 pm & then a Greek Show at 9 pm, meanwhile the ship is cruising to the next Island.


Sunday 21 Sept. We were up early and over to the Island of Patmos by 7.15 am via ferry boat. We took a nice walk round the wee island. The port is called Skala, a very popular call for cruise ships in the summer.

They have strict building codes to retain the traditional architecture. The Monastery of St John is the famous landmark, but we decided on a walk instead along the waterfront chatting to the local fishermen was more fun for a change.

We went back to the ship by 9.15 am via boat. Our next port was Kusadasi, Turkey at 2 pm.
Kevin went for a swim in the ships pool again & then we grabbed a hamburger for lunch.
There is so much food available on this cruise that you can eat whenever you wish and its a realtemptation. We walked off the gangway into Kusadasi to explore till 6 pm when we are due to sail.

We enjoyed browsing the Bazaar's here & bargaining with the locals. We walked along the waterfront and found a delightful sandy beach, where we had a swim in the Aegean Sea. It was delicious as it was hot & sunny here! Back to the ship again & into dinner at 7 pm. ( a formal sit down affair), then a Show at 9.30 pm ( good Value). Our ship continued on back to Athens while we slept.


Monday 22 Sept. We disembarked from the "Aquamarine" by 9.00 am and headed off for a morning of sightseeing in Athens. We saw the Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, Constitution Square & the Olympic Stadium. Its a very nice city but extremely crowded!

Next we headed back to Patras where we boarded our ship for the Aegean Sea / Adratic Sea trip to Ancona Italy where we arrived at 5 pm. We had dinner on board with everyone at 7 pm.


Tuesday 23 Sept. We arrived at the port of Ancona at 2 pm Italian time again. We had a lazy day on board - reading, relaxing & chatting with the others. At 2.30 pm we met up with our coach & Patrizo (driver) for the long long drive up to Italy via Bologna to Venice. We arrived at 8.30 pm & went straight in to dinner at our Hotel, which was an hour out of Venice.

Our Hotel was a 480 year old building and very spectacular. Our room was very large, Airy & lovely!


Wednesday 24 Sept. We were up early and off to the Tronchetto Port to catch our Vaporetto to cruise by canal to St Mark's Square to visit a traditional glass blowing factory. The remainder of the day we were free to explore which we did! We walked through the narrow streets behind the Piazza St Marco toward the Pont di Rialto( bridge over the Grand canal). We went for a 20 min gondola ride with Graham (Aussie) and it cost us 20 Euro each. We also saw parts of where a James Bond movie was filmed along the way and thehouse where casanova spent some time. Very nice and relaxing.

Next we got a ticket on the local water bus and travelled around the grand canal & saw several cathedrals. We walked down to Biennale di Venezia Park and also saw the bridge of Sighs and just had some relaxing free time to explore Venice. A very pretty city on water.The city is actually sinking but there are plans in place to try to halt this from going too far.

We met up with everyone at 5.45 pm to catch the Vaporetto back to the port and then catch the bus back to our Hotel, arriving at 7.30 pm. Dinner with everyone again at 7. . A very buzy day !


Thursday 25 Sept. We were up early and left Venice at 8.15 am. It was a straight driving day today. Through the Northern Italian Alps and the Southern Austrian Alps and into Austria. Passing their lake district, the Semmering Pass & the Vienna Woods. It was very beautiful scenery!

We arrived at our Hotel in Vienna at 5.30 pm. There was no dinner provided tonight so off out to a little local restaurant nearby with Peter & Anne and Phil & Nicky. Kevin & I shared a pizza and had a beer each then went back home afterwards.

Friday 26 Sept. We were up & off to the city at 9.00 am for a city Tour with a local guide. Then we had free time to explore the classical beauty of Vienna. The city lies in the Danube river Valley that has been inhabited for thousands of years. We walked up the Open Ring Road to see the Hofburg Palace, the Parliament Building ( a Greek influence) the Rathaus and the University of Vienna.

Next we caught a tram round to Stadt Park and hopped off to walk round the canal to Kegelg Strassue to see the Hundertwasser Village. The architect / designer was: F.Hundertwasser who creates works where the straight line is alien to mankind! - its a unique and impressive architecture. ( he created a restroom in Kawakawa N.Z.) and so all of his designs are based on curves and it is very appealing to the eye.

We next hopped on a tram again to get to the Opera House stop to meet up at Albertina Square for a lift home with the others. We got back to our Hotel round 3 pm.


Saturday 27 Sept. Again we were up early and off by 7.30 am another long driving day via Melk and Salzburg to Innsbruck. On the way we went on an excursion into Germany and visited Kehlsteinhaus - The Eagles Nest! ( 1834 metres high) It was built as a gift for Hitler's 50th birthday. Some really amazing engineering was required to build a road and tunnels and escalators up to this site and alot of workers were required at much cost.

It had been snowing & was very picturesque. It was Hitler's mountain retreat and he lived lower down at Obersalzberg where all his devious plans were hatched but here at Kehlsteinhaus ( Eagles Nest ) the building was only used for meetings. Hitler was also afraid of heights..ha ha...

We carried on to Innesbruck arriving at 5.00 pm. We had dinner altogether at 8 pm. Kevin went for a swim prior to tea.


Sunday 28 Sept. we were up a little later than usual - departing at 9.00 am to Innesbruck for an explore of the town. We had 2 1/2 hours here which was great as its a delightful spot.

We saw the Golden Roof, cobbled streets, Old Town, St Jacobs Cathedral & walked along the banks of the glacial waters in the river & over a couple of bridges & listened to a folk show and even sampled a sacre tort ( chocolate cake speciality of the area)

Then next we drove on and arrived in the small principality of Liechtenstien - the capital is Vaduz - for a lunch stop. We had an hour to explore here. We stopped and posted a card & used a special stamp from here , for both our Mom's.

We next enjoyed the scenic drive through Switzerland to lovely Lake Lucerne. We stopped here and viewed the Lion Monument and then on to our Hotel in Kriens. We had dinner altogether at 7.30 pm.


Monday 29 Sept. Today we had Lucerne at our Leisure! We had brekky at 7.30 am then left via the bus into down town Lucerne. We've been here before on our Swiss by Rail Trip, so wanted to see Mt Titlis which we arranged on our own rather than do theoptional Mt Pilatus trip.

So off to the train station we went & bought a ticket to Engelberg & return & up to the top of Mount Titlis ( Euro 90 each) We left at 10 am, it took one hour to reach Engelberg. It is a delightful ski-ing spot, carefree shopping area, & it has a Benedictine Monastery & a Casino & heaps of sporting facilities for all kinds of tastes.

The trip to the summit took approx 40 minutes. 1st, we boarded a 6 person gondola up to Trubsee the halfway station (1800 meters up ) Next was by stand up glacier cable car and finally was the Rotair car ( the floor of this cable car rotates around its own axis).

We arrived at the top for a breathtaking panorama view 3020 meters high. We spent 3 hours up atop Mt Titlis, it was just wonderful! The weather was superb and there was plenty of snow around. We got plenty of sun as well.

We headed down again & looked around Engelberg prior to catching the train back to Lucerne.
Got back at 4 pm and spent some time looking round Lucerne also. We met up with the others for the transfer back to our Hotel at Kriens. We had dinner with everyone tonight again.


Tuesday 30 Sept. We left Lucerne at 8 am today & drove to Zurich & then on to Schaffhausen. We stopped to view the Rhine Falls. An amazing sight with heaps of water racing down! Next we drove over the border into Germany & went through the Black Forest, past Lake Titisee & arrived to have lunch at Freiburg. We saw all the Cuckoo clocks made & sold here which was an interesting place and saw how these were made.

Next we headed to Heidelberg with its ancient castle for 2 hours to explore. Its a university town with many different faculties. We waked around and saw the castle as well that overlooks thecity. Its a very pretty little place.

We then carried on & arrived at our Hotel in Mannheim round 7 pm.We all had dinner together at 7.30 pm, then headed for a rest as we have an early start tomorrow.


Wednesday 1 Oct. We were up early as we headed off by 7.20 am. Today we drove through the Rhine Valley which is a lovely tranquil place & we went for a relaxing Rhine River Cruise. We grabbed some lunch along the way & continued on to Cologne. The boat trip on the Rhine was fun and next we visited the Twin Spired St Peter's Cathedral which was quite spectacular!

We crossed into the Netherlands & carried on for Amsterdam arriving at 6 pm. We were given 3 1/2 hours to independently explore Amsterdam. We visited Anne Franks house, wandered about narrow cobbled stoned roads, crossed bridges over canals, & visited the famous red light district.

We had dinner & met up with the coach at 9.40 pm for the transfer to our Hotel, arriving just after 10 pm.We dropped our gear in our room then met in the Bar for a glass of wine to farewell our friends departing tomorrow. Finially to bed at 12.30 pm very tired indeed!



Thursday 2nd Oct. We were up early for the long drive home today, leaving at 7.45 am. We passed through Utrecht & Breda then left the Netherlands for Belgium. We passed through Antwerp, Gent, Brussels & Oostende. Then we crossed the border into France again.

We passed Dunkirk & arrived in Calais at 1.30 pm.Here we went through customs & boarded our ferry to Dover. ( 1 1/2 hour trip) We had some lunch on board so it would be a straight drive up to London. We arrived at 4.30 pm. We said our farewells & lots of hugs and goodbye to everyone.


Kevin & I caught the underground direct to our Hostel Accomodation at 639 Hostel, Harrow road, Kensal Green. Its's quite basic, but we do have our own shower & handbasin & its handy to the tube station. Well our 30 day trip is over but what an adventure we had!!

Central European Tour. August 08.

Monday 18 August. We were up early and left Frankfurt at 7.30 am heading Northwest and using the Autobahn ( German motorways). Our first stop was at an old checkpoint. The old towers still visible today.

We had spent the day before having a good look around Frankfurt because we had arrived in the city one day earlier. It is a nice place and we walked the bridges along the river as well as seeing over the city.

Our lunch stop was at Weimar- at one time the intellectual heart of Germany and host to people such as Luther, Bach, Liszert, Schiller and Goethe. Once it was knowen as the "Athens of Germany".

We carried on over the river Elbe and into Berlin, Germany's capital city. We arrived at 5 pm, quite a long days travel.We had sandwiches in our room and then went out for a good hours walk round the area. Invaliden Strass and Friedrich Strabe, very interesting. Our Hotel is in old East Germany.

Tuesday 19 August. We were up early again as we went on a city guided tour at 8.15 am. A very fascinating city. Once a city of contrasts- West & East, but now the Berlin Wall has come down its harmonious again.

We got dropped off round 11.00 am and spent the remainder of the day exploring Berlin ie; the State Opera House, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and walked its lovely Boulevards such as Kurfurstendamm and Unterden Linden and saw the Tiergarten, the Holocaust Monument and Friedrichstrabe ( an expensive shopping area)

We read up the history of the Berlin Wall. It was a fascinating place to see where all this history took place. had a photo alongside as well and then we saw the river Spree and the Landwerhr canal that winds through Berlin. We arrived home by 5 pm with very tired feet!

Wednesday 20 August. We were up and off by 7.30 am as we were going East to Poznan, Poland. A delightful spot with a lovely old town square and market place. We had our lunch here and explored the area for 1 1/2 hours before we left, passing through the Polish countryside till we arrived at Warsaw at 6.30 pm. The country side was very flat. We had dinner at 7.30 pm with everyone.

Thursday 21 August. We headed off first thing on the city sight seeing tour which was an excellent introduction to Warsaw. We left the tour at 11.30 am and had the remainder of the day to explore Warsaw ourselves. We visited Old town, the Old Ghetto area, the Royal Castle, Ogrod Park and Chopin's Statue, the Palace of Culture and two famous streets- Marszalkowska and Aljeronzolimskie.

Warsaw and particularly Old Town was almost 90% destroyed during World War 2 during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 ( it became the center of the resistance). Its reconstruction lasted from 1949-1963. We returned home by 5.oo pm and again had dinner altogether at 7.00 pm.

Friday 22 August. Up early today at 8.00 am but then delayed as the bus had a flat battery, left at 8.30am instead. Today we were south bound towards Krakow. But first we visited Jasna Gora near Czestochowa - The Monastery (14-18th Century) where the Black Madonna is worshipped as the Queen of Poland and is the country's national symbol.

Then on to visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp. A chilling reminder of the Holocaust! We saw the entrance gate with the inscription " Arbeit Macht Frei" ( work will make you Free) more like kill you!, part of the railway where SS Doctors carried out the selection of the Jews, the Crematoriums and gas chambers, the death Block and the Death Wall.

The area is a Memorial to the Victims of the Nazis and is a World Heritage Site since 1979. This was a real eye opener as we walked around the site imagining the atrocities that took place here. We were all quite moved by the experience.

We arrived in Krakow at 7.30 pm after a long day. We had dinner with everone at 8.00 pm and went to bed by 10.30 pm tired out!

Saturday 23 August. Again up early an off on a sight seeing tour of Krakow which included the Kazimierz- Medieval Jewish Quarter where some of the film "Schindlers List" was filmed, the market place, Church of St Mary's and to Wawel Hill to see the Royal Palace and the Great Cathedral where most Polish Kings and Queens were crowned and buried.

We crossed over the river Wista that flows through Krakow.We grabbed some lunch here and had 1 1/2 hours of free time wandering about the Old Town Market Square.

Next we met up for the Wieliczka Salt Mines visit. We took the elevator down into the depths of the mine to see the passage ways,caves, and chapels all decorated with rock salt sculptures. They even had a chapel called " St Kingas Chapel" which was very impressive and opulent and was used for Mass and Weddings. They were preparing for one while we were visiting.

This was an amazing tour being so far underground and seeing all the sights. To see the various chambers and caves as carved out by the workers years ago was some sight. We returned to our hotel by 5.00 pm and had a quiet evening watching the Olympic's on T.V.

Sunday 24 August. We were up early again for a departure by 8.30 am for the Tatra Mountains of Poland, then through scenic Slovakia and finially into Hungary. We arrived in Budapest at 5.00 pm. We had a relax prior to us all having dinner at 6.30 pm.

Next we went off on the Danube Cruise and Illumination excursion. We boarded the boat for the 1 hr cruise with a local guide and were given a glass of Champagne and a second glass of red wine. We enjoyed river views of the Castle district and the houses of Parliament and going under the chain bridge. This was a neat trip seeing the city of Budapest at night. We got home just after 10 pm.

Monday 25 August. We were off on the sight seeing tour of Budapest which was excellent for getting your bearings in the city. We saw Hero's Square, the Parliament, the Royal Castle, and Matthias Coronation Church. It was finished by 11.00am and we spent the remainder of the day walking about ourselves.

We saw Andrassy Street, Vajdahunyard Castle ( a copy of Dracula's Castle) a Synagogue ( the largest in Europe) the Opera House, Margaret Island, the River Danube and of course Szechetyl Baths (mineral pools) - Kevin had a soak in the various pools and saunas there. We got ourselves around the Budapest Underground system quite well too. We are becoming quite savvy with our getting around places and we also walked alot but it was an enjoyable day.

We got home by 600 pm and had fruit and sandwiches and juice in our room, to save changing more money into Hungarian Florints.

Tuesday 26 August. We were up early again bound for Austria. We arrived in Vienna at midday and enjoyed a sightseeing tour with a local guide seeing places like the Opera House, Parliament, the Town Hall and Hero's Square and the Hofburg Palace and St Stephen's Cathedral.

We had free time to explore the city for 2 hours. Which we did and throughly enjoyed it. We met up for the bus trip back to the Hotel. We'd bought fruit, bread and orange juice for tea in our room. Good old Kiwi savings eh...

Wednesday 27 August. We were up and off at 8.00 am a free morning to explore more of Vienna. Its such a beautiful city. We took a ride on the Worlds Oldest Ferris Wheel, a masterpiece from 1890. We had excellent views of Vienna and surrounding area.

We also went for a tram ride around the town and wandered through other areas of Vienna.
We met the bus at 12.15 pm and headed off to the Czech Republic. We crossed the Czech border into beautiful Moravia and past through the rich farmlands of Bohemia to arrive in Prague at 5.00 pm. We had dinner all together - buffet style, very nice indeed.

Next we decided to catch the underground train into town to see the Krizikova Fountain. A lovely outdoor spectacle where fountains of cascading water is synchronised with music and lights. It was very nice indeed. We were with Rikki and Kevin ( from Aussie) and had a great evening arriving home round 11 pm.( via the tram then the underground train) The others on the tour also did this but it cost them more than us.

Thursday 28 August. We were up and away by 8.30am for a walking tour with a local guide seeing such landmarks as the National Theatre, Charles Bridge, Old Town Hall and the Astronomical Clock. It was very beautiful and all very old. We had the remainder of the day free.

So Kevin and I raced around to see as much as possible. We saw Vaclauske Nam ( similar to the Champ de Elyesse of Paris), the National Museum, the Power Tower, up to Prague Castle ( a long uphill walk ) St Nicholas Church, the Golden Lane, crossed Manesuv Bridge, Charles Bridge, and Cechuv Bridge over the river Vltava that runs through Prague. A very buzy day was had!

We met up with the bus at 5.00 pm for a transfer back to our Hotel. Kevin and I had a nap for a while, then got up and headed off to buy some tea at a cafe down the road. We were home by 8.30 pm and straight to bed as tired out.

Friday 29 August. We were up early again, usual thing these days.Headed off by 8.00 am to Germany today. We passed through the beautiful landscape of the Bohemian Forest to the Czech - German border. We drove south and enjoyed the Barvarian scenery and carried on to Munich our final destination today.

We arrived at 3.00 pm and were given 2 hours free time to explore Munich - the Odeons Plaz and the Marien Platz. Its a very beautiful city. We arrived at our Hotel at 5.30 pm and farewelled our driver Mustafa as he was leaving tonight. Kevin and I had a shower and then together with Peter and Ann we headed back into downtown square to visit the famous Hofbrauhaus ( a German Beer Hall).

We stayed and sampled the beer. Kevin even had a litre glass of beer and it was huge! - but he managed to drink it all! We walked around and found a typical German Restaurant and had a nice meal of roast pork. We walked home again by 11 pm. Yet again we did this on our own device which saved us money. Great evening was had.

Saturday 30 August. As usual up early as we headed for Frankfurt today. We travelled the beautiful Romantic Road, which runs North up to the Alps. We stopped at Medieval Nordlingen. A beautiful Old Town with narrow streets and cobbled stoned roads and footpaths. We spent an hour exploring and guess what? We found N.Z. Granny Smith Apples for sale in the Old Town Market Place.

Next we drove on to Rothenburg. A lovely preserved Medieval Town with its ramparts and towers , cobbled streets and 16th century houses. We had 2 hours to explore here and it was fabulous! Kathe Wohlfahrts - Christmas Village Shop is open year round and is in 5 patrician houses that have been connected to one another and it has over 50,000 christmas items. It was just fabulous and I know my Mom would have really loved it!

Kevin and I climbed the Siebers Tower for a fantastic view of the town - mind you my legs were a bit like jelly at the time. We continued on to Frankfurt but were staying north of the city. We arrived at 6.00 pm, quite poophed out! Kevin did some laps at the pool before we had our final dinner with everyone at 7.30 pm and had a great time farewelling everyone and wishing them well!

Sunday 31 August. Our trip ends today. Kevin did some more laps in the pool before breakfast and off on our bus transfer to Frankfurt Airport to catch our flight back to London. We had an hours delay due to fog in London and arrived at 1.30 pm. We caught the tube and bus to our Hostel accomodation in New Cross. Its pretty basic but will do for £30 per night.

We had a relax for a while then we found a internet cafe around the corner for only £1 per hour, so checked out our emails and caught up on the blog. Cloudy and cool and slighly drizzly here in London. But quite nice to be back. We also had some chicken n chips for tea before getting some well earned rest.

Monday 1 Sept. Today was a chance to catch up with Bellerbys College, to check our mail and to update our cell phones and do all kinds of chores including banking our accom refund cheque and finalising our travel arrangements.

We have tomorrow as well to relax before we head off on our main European Discovery Tour of 30 days, followed by 9 days in Russia. We are looking forward to this. We had a long chat to friends Jo and Rob Ridland ( In Bunbury Aust ) as well. We have been updating our blog and writing emails these past 2 hours or more so we are now ready to head back to our accomodation for the night. Until next time cheers.