Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Raubling, Germany to Gold Coast, Australia 31st October 2007
We have had some difficulties obtaining our visas for China here in Europe - a lot of waiting and standing in line - however on the morning when we arrived in Munich Pat went straight to the Consulate and success at last - our visas for our brief stopover in Beijing were ready to go.
We left Munich and headed to the beautiful and enchanting city of Venice, Italy - a city which has 20 million visitors per year. Walking the labyrinth of narrow alleyways of Venice is like walking in an open air museum - another interesting sight in Venice is a traffic jam which is comprised of gondolas, water taxis, water buses, delivery barges and private craft all heading every which way out on the Grand Canal - I think there could be an opening for a position as a water traffic controller! Venice is a city comprised of 117 islands, 150 canals and 400 bridges - just an amazing sight to see. Everyone says it is easy to get lost in Venice and we now know this to be true.
The city of Padua (Padova) is the home of St Anthony of Padua - we visited his tomb which is inside the city`s Cathedral. From Padua we headed to Montegrotto a thermal springs area in northern Italy and met up with Frieda and Herbert. Herbert was celebrating his 65th birthday at a Hot Springs Thermal Resort so we also checked in and managed to fit in some celebrating. The thermal pools were very relaxing - it was a wonderful stay.
When we arrived in Florence there was a medical convention in the city so accommodation was difficult to find - eventually we found a wonderful spacious room on the top floor of a hotel - the only drawback was that there were 94 steps up to our room! I know because I counted them every time I walked up and down! We visited the Basilica in Florence and enjoyed the outdoor markets. The narrow cobbled streets in Florence are wonderful as are the old buildings. We headed north from Florence to Milan and Chiasso and then further into scenic Switzerland.
Locarno in Switzerland is another wonderful city nestled on the side of a beautiful lake. This is quite a resort city - I can see why the big names in the entertainment industry come to Locarno to hold concerts - the city square is permanently closed off to traffic and for concerts it is transformed into a huge Stage.
Our Eurail booklets list the special scenic routes of Europe so whenever possible we take these trains - sometimes there is an extra charge but most times our Eurail passes cover the cost. This next trip took us through Switzerland, back into northern Italy and into France. We took the scenic train from Locarno to Bellinzona, Domodossola, Brig, Martigny and onto Chamonix which is a beautiful little city nestled in the lap of Mont Blanc the highest mountain in France. The train climbed a steep ascent with views out over the valleys and mountains - the hills here are dotted with grape vines - Chamonix is a ski resort and one of France's premier alpine villages. Our hotel room had a balcony with a view directly to Mont Blanc - just wonderful. Of course the weather is now getting cooler so our jackets are getting a lot of use. Travelling further north we reached St Gervais and Geneva in Switzerland. At Geneva we changed our mode of transport and travelled by ferry along Lake Leman via Evain in France and then across the lake to Lausanne in Switzerland.
Last year in Tibet we met a Swiss family who became our very own St Bernard when they rescued us from our broken down vehicle which had sustained a broken axle and lost its wheel - they transported us to the town on the Nepalese border. It was wonderful to meet up with them again (Raymond, Marianne, Gilles and Christine) at Bussigny which is a small village, where Raymond is actually the Mayor! We woke in the morning to the sound of the cows munching the grass while the bells around their neck clanged a beautiful sound. Apparently each farmer knows the sound of his own cow bells!
Our next few days in Bussigny with our Swiss friends were absolutely wonderful. We visited their family friends (Beth and Robert) who live in an old farmhouse, built in 1850. We sat around the bench style table with the wood fire burning close by - the house was toasty warm. Our dinner was very tasty and was called La Chasse - the meat of which is from a small deer-like animal - this meat is only available at a certain season of the year and we happened to arrive at the right - hence we were able to partake of this Swiss delicacy.
It is wonderful to see all these small villages which support their local businesses. We went to a little cheese factory where one of the local farmers was piping fresh milk from his stainless steel vats, mounted on a trailer, straight into the little cheese factory. The fridges in the factory shop were filled with all the specialty cheeses one could wish for and all very reasonably priced.
Gilles and Christine took us touring the glorious countryside in this part of Switzerland. We visited the spectacular city of Montreaux on Lake Leman and sat on a terrace high above the city enjoying a Cappuccino while gazing down at the city and the lake! It was also wonderful to visit an old castle and its neighbouring village. At the castle we were in for a treat as a troupe of Swiss Yodellers gathered to put on a great show. I love to hear the music and singing of the country we are travelling in - it somehow finishes off the "painting". That evening we were in for another treat - a Swiss Cheese Fondue dinner at Raymond and Marianne's home. The following day we said goodbye to our Swiss family and look forward to welcoming them to Dingo Beach sometime in the future.
We headed further north in Switzerland and visited the breathtakingly beautiful area of Interlaken. Sadly I thought about the tragic loss of life here when a group of young travellers, including Australians, lost their lives in a dreadful canyoning accident a few years ago. Switzerland is a truly beautiful country with spectacular scenery, rolling green hills, lush valleys, crystal clear rivers and high mountain passes. We travelled north through Lichtenstein which is a small municipality tucked into a corner of Austria and Germany. Today is our 36th Wedding Anniversary so we headed to Triberg in Germany's Black Forest to celebrate. The Black Forest acquired its name from the canopy of dark leaves formed by the trees in the forest and of course it is also the home of the Black Forest Torte.
We followed the Neckar River in Germany through Heidelberg and Nuremberg. We walked in the beautiful old city of Nuremberg but unfortunately the weather was getting colder and the rain was setting in - not ideal weather for touring. Nuremberg was the seat for the Nazi War Crimes investigations where on December 9, 1946, an American military tribunal opened criminal proceedings against 23 leading German physicians and administrators for their willing participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
We decided to travel in a big loop back to Frieda and Herbert's home in Bavaria, visiting Prague the capital of the Czech Republic and Vienna the capital of Austria on the way. In Prague we walked in and around the grounds of the Castle of Prague and visited the district of Mala Strana to visit the Church of Our Lady Victorious. This Church is home to the famous statue of the Child of Prague - this statue is dated around 1550 and was made by an unknown artist. We walked across the famous Charles Bridge and into the beautiful old city of Prague. Shops proudly display their Bohemian crystal and jewellery - many shops and buildings had beautiful crystal chandeliers at the entrance to their premises.
The weather was getting much colder - snow was falling with the rain in Vienna but melting by the time it hit the ground. We visited the Palace and the city centre but the weather was not on our side. Happily we checked onto the train to head back to our home away from home in Bavaria.
We were in for a treat as we travelled through the Austrian Alps - it began to snow! The higher we travelled the thicker the snow became until we were travelling through a magnificent Winter Wonderland. I called Frieda to let her know we were on our way - she was very excited to tell us it was also snowing at her home. Herbert met us at the station in Raubling - previously we had seen this area of Bavaria and Tirol with beautiful green rolling hills and homes with flower boxes at the windows. Now everywhere is white and blanketed in snow! It looked superb!
We had the next day at home washing our clothes and packing our bags for China. Pat put on Frieda's apron and made Thai Soup, Chili Chicken and Rice for the midday meal. Heine and Sieglinde came over and the fun and laughter continued on into the night.
Monday 22nd October and we were waiting in anticipation for our new grandchild to enter the world. When I woke that morning I told Pat I had dreamt about bunches of pink flowers all night!!!!! Finally the text message came from PJ - Call for Baby News! What excitement - Ayla Rose Wells was born in Mackay weighing 6lb 15ozs at 9:40am with Sonya and Ayla both doing extremely well. After the phone call with PJ, Herbert cracked open a bottle of Champagne so we all had a celebratory glass of champagne. As we were toasting the new arrival, a song came on the radio - Herbie said listen to this song it is called Ein Neuer Stern is Geboren! How uncanny - A New Star is Born!
After our lunch of traditional Raebraten (deer) we all headed out into the snow covered mountains with Heine and Sieglinde. We visited a beautiful little place called Windelstuberl and enjoyed coffee and traditional German cakes for afternoon tea. Next we visited Wallfahrtskirche Birkenstein Oberbayern where Frieda and Herbert were married almost 44 years ago. The chapel is very small and is cared for an Orders of Sisters - the same Sisters who taught Herbert in the school alongside the Chapel which is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics from the world over. It was also in this tiny Chapel that Frieda's parents received a blessing on the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was wonderful driving through this beautiful snow covered country. The cows are now being taken indoors to the barns in readiness for the cold winter season, the birds have flown south and we're heading home to the sun in a few days time. The following morning we said goodbye to Frieda and Herbert at Rosenheim where we headed straight for Munich Flughafen for the first leg of our trip home via Beijing.
We spent the next few days in Beijing with our good friends Otmar and Antoinette. Of course we visited the Silk Markets and caught up on some gift shopping for home - not forgetting a few items coloured pink! We went out one evening to see the Chaoyang Acrobatic Troupe - wow what a spectacular - 13 girls on a bicycle was pretty awesome. Once again we met up with Roger and Janette - Roger is based in Beijing - he and I grew up about 200 metres apart in Southport but didn't meet until we were in China last year.
The night before we left for Australia a group of 12 went out for dinner - and what a night we had! Charlie and Shirley are planning a trip to Australia next year so we had quite a few discussions about the trip. Shirley sang a beautiful Chinese song and then our friend Zhang sang Beijing Opera which takes a lot of training and practice. Antoinette and I sang a couple of songs and we all attempted Waltzing Matilda - we had a wonderful night at our farewell to Beijing.
When we were in China last year we met a wonderful lady by the name of Zhang Liang Fang. Zhang and her husband came and stayed with us for a couple of days in Beijing before we left for Australia. Zhang is now here in Australia and will be spending the next 2 months with us - this is the first time she has been out of China. She speaks no English and we speak no Chinese but her electronic translator is a Godsend. She is a wonderful lady and a pleasure to have with us - as Sonya says - she's low maintenance!
After arriving in Sydney we stayed with Anne and Pat in Maroubra where Zhang had the pleasure of seeing a surfing beach for the first time - Pat took us to Bronte, Coogee and Maroubra beaches. We also took her to the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and took a trip across on the famous Manly Ferry. A visit to Chinatown for lunch rounded off the day. The next evening we flew to Coolangatta where my brother Brian picked us up. Home to Mum for a few days and that great Irish / Aussie welcome.
So here we are back to where we started from 7 months ago! We had a most amazing trip - a trip of a lifetime - but it is good to be home.
We left Munich and headed to the beautiful and enchanting city of Venice, Italy - a city which has 20 million visitors per year. Walking the labyrinth of narrow alleyways of Venice is like walking in an open air museum - another interesting sight in Venice is a traffic jam which is comprised of gondolas, water taxis, water buses, delivery barges and private craft all heading every which way out on the Grand Canal - I think there could be an opening for a position as a water traffic controller! Venice is a city comprised of 117 islands, 150 canals and 400 bridges - just an amazing sight to see. Everyone says it is easy to get lost in Venice and we now know this to be true.
The city of Padua (Padova) is the home of St Anthony of Padua - we visited his tomb which is inside the city`s Cathedral. From Padua we headed to Montegrotto a thermal springs area in northern Italy and met up with Frieda and Herbert. Herbert was celebrating his 65th birthday at a Hot Springs Thermal Resort so we also checked in and managed to fit in some celebrating. The thermal pools were very relaxing - it was a wonderful stay.
When we arrived in Florence there was a medical convention in the city so accommodation was difficult to find - eventually we found a wonderful spacious room on the top floor of a hotel - the only drawback was that there were 94 steps up to our room! I know because I counted them every time I walked up and down! We visited the Basilica in Florence and enjoyed the outdoor markets. The narrow cobbled streets in Florence are wonderful as are the old buildings. We headed north from Florence to Milan and Chiasso and then further into scenic Switzerland.
Locarno in Switzerland is another wonderful city nestled on the side of a beautiful lake. This is quite a resort city - I can see why the big names in the entertainment industry come to Locarno to hold concerts - the city square is permanently closed off to traffic and for concerts it is transformed into a huge Stage.
Our Eurail booklets list the special scenic routes of Europe so whenever possible we take these trains - sometimes there is an extra charge but most times our Eurail passes cover the cost. This next trip took us through Switzerland, back into northern Italy and into France. We took the scenic train from Locarno to Bellinzona, Domodossola, Brig, Martigny and onto Chamonix which is a beautiful little city nestled in the lap of Mont Blanc the highest mountain in France. The train climbed a steep ascent with views out over the valleys and mountains - the hills here are dotted with grape vines - Chamonix is a ski resort and one of France's premier alpine villages. Our hotel room had a balcony with a view directly to Mont Blanc - just wonderful. Of course the weather is now getting cooler so our jackets are getting a lot of use. Travelling further north we reached St Gervais and Geneva in Switzerland. At Geneva we changed our mode of transport and travelled by ferry along Lake Leman via Evain in France and then across the lake to Lausanne in Switzerland.
Last year in Tibet we met a Swiss family who became our very own St Bernard when they rescued us from our broken down vehicle which had sustained a broken axle and lost its wheel - they transported us to the town on the Nepalese border. It was wonderful to meet up with them again (Raymond, Marianne, Gilles and Christine) at Bussigny which is a small village, where Raymond is actually the Mayor! We woke in the morning to the sound of the cows munching the grass while the bells around their neck clanged a beautiful sound. Apparently each farmer knows the sound of his own cow bells!
Our next few days in Bussigny with our Swiss friends were absolutely wonderful. We visited their family friends (Beth and Robert) who live in an old farmhouse, built in 1850. We sat around the bench style table with the wood fire burning close by - the house was toasty warm. Our dinner was very tasty and was called La Chasse - the meat of which is from a small deer-like animal - this meat is only available at a certain season of the year and we happened to arrive at the right - hence we were able to partake of this Swiss delicacy.
It is wonderful to see all these small villages which support their local businesses. We went to a little cheese factory where one of the local farmers was piping fresh milk from his stainless steel vats, mounted on a trailer, straight into the little cheese factory. The fridges in the factory shop were filled with all the specialty cheeses one could wish for and all very reasonably priced.
Gilles and Christine took us touring the glorious countryside in this part of Switzerland. We visited the spectacular city of Montreaux on Lake Leman and sat on a terrace high above the city enjoying a Cappuccino while gazing down at the city and the lake! It was also wonderful to visit an old castle and its neighbouring village. At the castle we were in for a treat as a troupe of Swiss Yodellers gathered to put on a great show. I love to hear the music and singing of the country we are travelling in - it somehow finishes off the "painting". That evening we were in for another treat - a Swiss Cheese Fondue dinner at Raymond and Marianne's home. The following day we said goodbye to our Swiss family and look forward to welcoming them to Dingo Beach sometime in the future.
We headed further north in Switzerland and visited the breathtakingly beautiful area of Interlaken. Sadly I thought about the tragic loss of life here when a group of young travellers, including Australians, lost their lives in a dreadful canyoning accident a few years ago. Switzerland is a truly beautiful country with spectacular scenery, rolling green hills, lush valleys, crystal clear rivers and high mountain passes. We travelled north through Lichtenstein which is a small municipality tucked into a corner of Austria and Germany. Today is our 36th Wedding Anniversary so we headed to Triberg in Germany's Black Forest to celebrate. The Black Forest acquired its name from the canopy of dark leaves formed by the trees in the forest and of course it is also the home of the Black Forest Torte.
We followed the Neckar River in Germany through Heidelberg and Nuremberg. We walked in the beautiful old city of Nuremberg but unfortunately the weather was getting colder and the rain was setting in - not ideal weather for touring. Nuremberg was the seat for the Nazi War Crimes investigations where on December 9, 1946, an American military tribunal opened criminal proceedings against 23 leading German physicians and administrators for their willing participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
We decided to travel in a big loop back to Frieda and Herbert's home in Bavaria, visiting Prague the capital of the Czech Republic and Vienna the capital of Austria on the way. In Prague we walked in and around the grounds of the Castle of Prague and visited the district of Mala Strana to visit the Church of Our Lady Victorious. This Church is home to the famous statue of the Child of Prague - this statue is dated around 1550 and was made by an unknown artist. We walked across the famous Charles Bridge and into the beautiful old city of Prague. Shops proudly display their Bohemian crystal and jewellery - many shops and buildings had beautiful crystal chandeliers at the entrance to their premises.
The weather was getting much colder - snow was falling with the rain in Vienna but melting by the time it hit the ground. We visited the Palace and the city centre but the weather was not on our side. Happily we checked onto the train to head back to our home away from home in Bavaria.
We were in for a treat as we travelled through the Austrian Alps - it began to snow! The higher we travelled the thicker the snow became until we were travelling through a magnificent Winter Wonderland. I called Frieda to let her know we were on our way - she was very excited to tell us it was also snowing at her home. Herbert met us at the station in Raubling - previously we had seen this area of Bavaria and Tirol with beautiful green rolling hills and homes with flower boxes at the windows. Now everywhere is white and blanketed in snow! It looked superb!
We had the next day at home washing our clothes and packing our bags for China. Pat put on Frieda's apron and made Thai Soup, Chili Chicken and Rice for the midday meal. Heine and Sieglinde came over and the fun and laughter continued on into the night.
Monday 22nd October and we were waiting in anticipation for our new grandchild to enter the world. When I woke that morning I told Pat I had dreamt about bunches of pink flowers all night!!!!! Finally the text message came from PJ - Call for Baby News! What excitement - Ayla Rose Wells was born in Mackay weighing 6lb 15ozs at 9:40am with Sonya and Ayla both doing extremely well. After the phone call with PJ, Herbert cracked open a bottle of Champagne so we all had a celebratory glass of champagne. As we were toasting the new arrival, a song came on the radio - Herbie said listen to this song it is called Ein Neuer Stern is Geboren! How uncanny - A New Star is Born!
After our lunch of traditional Raebraten (deer) we all headed out into the snow covered mountains with Heine and Sieglinde. We visited a beautiful little place called Windelstuberl and enjoyed coffee and traditional German cakes for afternoon tea. Next we visited Wallfahrtskirche Birkenstein Oberbayern where Frieda and Herbert were married almost 44 years ago. The chapel is very small and is cared for an Orders of Sisters - the same Sisters who taught Herbert in the school alongside the Chapel which is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics from the world over. It was also in this tiny Chapel that Frieda's parents received a blessing on the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was wonderful driving through this beautiful snow covered country. The cows are now being taken indoors to the barns in readiness for the cold winter season, the birds have flown south and we're heading home to the sun in a few days time. The following morning we said goodbye to Frieda and Herbert at Rosenheim where we headed straight for Munich Flughafen for the first leg of our trip home via Beijing.
We spent the next few days in Beijing with our good friends Otmar and Antoinette. Of course we visited the Silk Markets and caught up on some gift shopping for home - not forgetting a few items coloured pink! We went out one evening to see the Chaoyang Acrobatic Troupe - wow what a spectacular - 13 girls on a bicycle was pretty awesome. Once again we met up with Roger and Janette - Roger is based in Beijing - he and I grew up about 200 metres apart in Southport but didn't meet until we were in China last year.
The night before we left for Australia a group of 12 went out for dinner - and what a night we had! Charlie and Shirley are planning a trip to Australia next year so we had quite a few discussions about the trip. Shirley sang a beautiful Chinese song and then our friend Zhang sang Beijing Opera which takes a lot of training and practice. Antoinette and I sang a couple of songs and we all attempted Waltzing Matilda - we had a wonderful night at our farewell to Beijing.
When we were in China last year we met a wonderful lady by the name of Zhang Liang Fang. Zhang and her husband came and stayed with us for a couple of days in Beijing before we left for Australia. Zhang is now here in Australia and will be spending the next 2 months with us - this is the first time she has been out of China. She speaks no English and we speak no Chinese but her electronic translator is a Godsend. She is a wonderful lady and a pleasure to have with us - as Sonya says - she's low maintenance!
After arriving in Sydney we stayed with Anne and Pat in Maroubra where Zhang had the pleasure of seeing a surfing beach for the first time - Pat took us to Bronte, Coogee and Maroubra beaches. We also took her to the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and took a trip across on the famous Manly Ferry. A visit to Chinatown for lunch rounded off the day. The next evening we flew to Coolangatta where my brother Brian picked us up. Home to Mum for a few days and that great Irish / Aussie welcome.
So here we are back to where we started from 7 months ago! We had a most amazing trip - a trip of a lifetime - but it is good to be home.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Sofia, Bulgaria to Raubling, Bavaria Germany 7th October 2007
We wanted to make up some time so decided to take some night trains, which also gave us our accommodation for the next three nights. We boarded the train in Athens and travelled through to Sofia, Bulgaria. At Athens station we chatted with Gill from Adelaide. Her cabin was next door to ours so we had some great conversations during the trip. When we arrived in Sofia we helped Gill find her hostel - a bit of a challenge as the address had changed and the Lonely Planet address had not been updated. Eventually we found the address and in the meantime had a good tour around Sofia on foot. While we were standing at a pedestrian crossing a woman had her hand in Pat's pocket - she wasn't very lucky - all she managed to get her hands on was Pat's well used handkerchief! In the city we visited a beautiful Cathedral called Ploshad Aleksander Nevski which had gold domes - it was built between 1892 and 1912 and named after a Russian warrior. Next we visited the markets where we picked up some fresh fruit for the train trip. The three of us had lunch together and then Pat and I headed back to the station for our next night train to Bucharest, Romania.
There were many gypsies on this train - they stand in the area at the end and between carriages in order to have a free trip. The conductor told us to be sure to lock our cabin door well at night - this has been a prosperous area for thieves in the past. The border patrol knocked on our door at 3:00 am - once all was in order we went straight back to sleep. We arrived at Bucharest early in the morning and headed into this very interesting city. This is the city where communism basically ended in Romania - it was from here 0n 21st December 1989 that Ceausescu gave his famous last speech - a couple of days later he and his wife were arrested - then on Christmas Day they were both executed by firing squad. Ceausescu had grandiose ideas of turning an area of Bucharest into another Champs Elysees - after wrecking complete suburbs and pushing people out of their homes he produced an area not nearly as good as the Paris original. The Palace of Parliament is an infamous star attraction in the city - it is second in size to the US Pentagon in Washington DC. We walked about in the historical city and visited a little Chapel built in 1700. A Romanian linguist came along to chat with us and gave us the history of the building and asked a lady to turn on the lights for us to see it better. He was very interested in speaking English so had a great chat with Pat about the mining industries in the two countries.
Our third night train was from Bucharest to Budapest in Hungary. In Budapest we strolled along the banks of the Danube River thoroughly enjoying the scenery and sunshine and spent hours walking in the city. There was a 30 klm marathon being held so many streets were cordoned off to traffic. We visited the Parliament Buildings and the City Square, then headed back to the station for the trip to Rosenheim in Germany where we were met by Heine and Herbert. They were surprised at the small amount of luggage we were carrying for six months travel - they loaded our gear into the back of the wagon and we headed home to Frieda and Sieglinde. Frieda is a sister of my Uncle Sepp who lives in Canada and is married to my Mother's sister Angela. Heine was a neighbour who grew up with Sepp and his 15 brothers and sisters near Kufstein in Tirol, Austria.
On Monday we all headed into Munich by train to visit Oktoberfest. Wow what a place! We were in a tent which seated 7,500 people. Beer is served in 1 litre steins with waitresses and waiters carrying about 10 steins at any one time. As of yesterday 6.1 million visitors had attended Oktoberfest this year. The atmosphere is wonderful with loads of people of all ages dressed up in national costume. While the band was playing in our tent we called our family in Australia to say hello - my Mother was in great form and thoroughly enjoyed the international phone call. After Oktoberfest we headed into the city to see the sights and to visit the world famous Hofbrauhaus.
There were many gypsies on this train - they stand in the area at the end and between carriages in order to have a free trip. The conductor told us to be sure to lock our cabin door well at night - this has been a prosperous area for thieves in the past. The border patrol knocked on our door at 3:00 am - once all was in order we went straight back to sleep. We arrived at Bucharest early in the morning and headed into this very interesting city. This is the city where communism basically ended in Romania - it was from here 0n 21st December 1989 that Ceausescu gave his famous last speech - a couple of days later he and his wife were arrested - then on Christmas Day they were both executed by firing squad. Ceausescu had grandiose ideas of turning an area of Bucharest into another Champs Elysees - after wrecking complete suburbs and pushing people out of their homes he produced an area not nearly as good as the Paris original. The Palace of Parliament is an infamous star attraction in the city - it is second in size to the US Pentagon in Washington DC. We walked about in the historical city and visited a little Chapel built in 1700. A Romanian linguist came along to chat with us and gave us the history of the building and asked a lady to turn on the lights for us to see it better. He was very interested in speaking English so had a great chat with Pat about the mining industries in the two countries.
Our third night train was from Bucharest to Budapest in Hungary. In Budapest we strolled along the banks of the Danube River thoroughly enjoying the scenery and sunshine and spent hours walking in the city. There was a 30 klm marathon being held so many streets were cordoned off to traffic. We visited the Parliament Buildings and the City Square, then headed back to the station for the trip to Rosenheim in Germany where we were met by Heine and Herbert. They were surprised at the small amount of luggage we were carrying for six months travel - they loaded our gear into the back of the wagon and we headed home to Frieda and Sieglinde. Frieda is a sister of my Uncle Sepp who lives in Canada and is married to my Mother's sister Angela. Heine was a neighbour who grew up with Sepp and his 15 brothers and sisters near Kufstein in Tirol, Austria.
On Monday we all headed into Munich by train to visit Oktoberfest. Wow what a place! We were in a tent which seated 7,500 people. Beer is served in 1 litre steins with waitresses and waiters carrying about 10 steins at any one time. As of yesterday 6.1 million visitors had attended Oktoberfest this year. The atmosphere is wonderful with loads of people of all ages dressed up in national costume. While the band was playing in our tent we called our family in Australia to say hello - my Mother was in great form and thoroughly enjoyed the international phone call. After Oktoberfest we headed into the city to see the sights and to visit the world famous Hofbrauhaus.
We have been in Bavaria and Tirol for the past week and what a time we've had. The countryside is just glorious - high mountains, rolling green hills and valleys, waterways and streams. Our German and Austrian connections are spoiling us greatly - each day we have been out touring the villages and areas in Bavaria and Tirol. We have visited many places including Tiersee, Kufstein, Sudelfeld, Kaiserrundfahrt, Elmau, Kitsbuhel, Reit im Winkl, Kossen, and Buchberg and many more I have not listed. The area is dotted with ski resorts and villages. The buildings in the villages are wonderful with window sills covered in flowers and beautiful artwork painted on and around many of the homes and buildings. I love being in the countryside where the air is crisp and fresh. It is currently autumn so many of the leaves have changed colour with the hillside looking fabulous with splashes of green, red, gold and brown.
We had a great day in Kufstein and visited the wonderful Castle - in earlier times the round tower of the castle was used as a prison. The tower of the castle houses the world's largest organ and we were lucky enough to be there at midday to hear the recital. The sound of the music can be heard from all around the valley. Heine said that when the wind is blowing in the direction of his home 7 klms away he can hear the music from his living room. Heine is a carpenter by trade and during his life he has made 12 large harps. When he was 20 years of age he began to learn to play the harp. One afternoon we were at his home for apple strudel, coffee & schnapps (yummo) when he gave us a recital - a special treat. Heine speaks perfect English which makes conversation very easy.
I can't remember when we laughed as much as while we are here at Frieda and Herbert's home. Our conversations are just wonderful - with my school German and their spattering of English words we have a ball - eventually we work it all out! Frieda is a brilliant cook so we have been having fabulous meals - Goulash, Schnitzel, Knodel, Potato Salad, Goulash, Roast Pork to name but a few - not forgetting the schnapps which seems to appear often! Herbert is a great host and quite the entertainer - he' currently busy learning some Australian slang.
We made another trip into Oktoberfest yesterday and met up with Ian (Matho) and Liz Matheson from Mackay. Our arrangement was to meet up at 10:00 am and we were all there on the dot of 10:00. We were first in line for the Kafers Wiesn Schanke tent so were able to get in first and get a great table. Pat and Matho did quite well and both managed to down four x one litre steins of German beer - the BBQ chicken dinner also went down a treat in the middle of the day. Liz and I had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed the company of the other Germans at our table - the atmosphere is great and everyone is very friendly.
Today we have been out hiking in the mountains at Kaiser Mountain. Heine was a mountain guide and rock climber so we knew we were in good hands. We visited the house half way up the mountain where Heine was born - it is now a restaurant. On our trip back down the mountain we stopped off there for Weiner Schnitzel and enjoyed sitting on the verandah in the sunshine. There is nothing quite like a day's walk in the mountains - the fresh air and the scenery is wonderful.
Early this morning Frieda and Herbert left for Padua in Italy where we will meet up with them in a couple of days time. Tomorrow morning we will leave from Munich and head to Venice.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bari Italy to Athens Greece 27th September 2007
We boarded the Ionian King to sail on the night cruise to Patras in Greece. We had quite a surprise as we were tied up alongside another ship the Blue Horizon - quite a coincidence as we met at the Blue Horizon in Vancouver 37 years ago to this day! It must have been our day - the booking clerk not only gave us a great discount but he also upgraded us to a first class cabin!
This trip began our series of wonderful cruises through the Greek Islands. We cruised past the island of Corfu and visited Kefallonia. We travelled by train from Patras through to Piraeus which is the main port for Athens. Last year this port had a throughput of 13,000,000 passengers which is quite amazing. We cruised from Pireaus to Iraklio on the island of Crete which is the largest of the Greek islands. We hired a car and toured the island. It is wonderful to see the beautiful coastlines and the clear aqua waters. Crete has very rocky and high mountains. Pat spotted a pig and a lamb cooking on a spit outside a restaurant - so guess where we went for dinner? Dinner was great and very reasonably priced. We actually visited the islands in the low season which worked in our favour, as accommodation prices are lower, hire cars are cheaper and the crowds have gone home.
Next we boarded a ship to cruise from Crete to Santorini which is considered to be the jewel in the crown. Our departure time was 8:00pm but due to high winds our departure was delayed until 7:00am the following day. We spent the evening having a few cold beers and some Greek wine with a couple from New Zealand, Tania and Bobby.
As the Lonely Planet says: Stunning Santorini is surely the most spectacular of the Greek Islands. The massive caldera, lava layered cliffs and precarious cliff top towns exude an incomparable sense of drama and impermanence.
Upon arrival at the port of Santorini loads of touts were there to sell accommodation and provide transport to their resorts for the latest arrivals. We chose well and stayed at a lovely resort right on the Mediterranean. Our room (50 mts from the sea) had a balcony with views of a 20 km coastline. Once again the rate was extremely low due to it being out of season. We hired a car and had a great time exploring Santorini. Fira is the main city on the island and is a great place to walk around and explore. It is astonishing the way the buildings seem to hang off the cliffs. In early times these cities were built with narrow winding walkways to confuse the pirates but nowadays they do well to confuse the visitors. The little fishing village of Oia, famous for its sunsets, is spectacular and built high on the cliff. The buildings are painted white with window frames, shutters, doors and domed roofs painted a beautiful shade of blue. The islands are quite dry and arid with water being shipped in - the lucky ones have wells on their property.
Our next cruise was from Santorini to Mykonos - another beautiful island. We met a German couple on the boat, Tony and Elizabeth - Tony works for BMW in Munich and Elizabeth for Lufthansa. On this cruise we called into the islands of Sikinos, Ios and Naxos. Once again the touts were at the port of Mykonos to sell their accommodation but we had prebooked with a recommendation from Santorini - so Christina from Mama's Hotel was there to pick us up from the ship.
We hired a car with Tony and Elizabeth on Mykonos and had a great time sightseeing. Once again our room and balcony had beautiful views out across the sea. We noticed the different architecture on Mykonos - where Santorini had domed roofs, Mykonos had squared off flat roofs - once again the homes and buildings are painted white with blue trim - just spectacular. Next we cruised from Mykonos to Pireaus stopping off at Tiros and Syros. There are 1,400 islands in Greece so one thing about the Greek Islands is that there are so many islands and so little time! I guess we'll just have to come back.
The Greek people have been very welcoming and friendly with many able to speak English - Pat says he's noticed that most of them seem to have a relative in Melbourne!
Athens is a large spread out city. The Acropolis is a great place to visit, although I'm unsure about all the restoration work that is being done - every photo we have taken will probably have a workman or scaffold in it. Other great sights in Athens include the Parthenon, the Agora, the Temple of Hephaestus and the Temple of Zeus. We were checking out the city of Athens and had a great surprise when we met up with Colin and Helen the couple from Adelaide we met in Germany - it's a small world.
Tonight we will leave on a night train for Sofia in Bulgaria.
This trip began our series of wonderful cruises through the Greek Islands. We cruised past the island of Corfu and visited Kefallonia. We travelled by train from Patras through to Piraeus which is the main port for Athens. Last year this port had a throughput of 13,000,000 passengers which is quite amazing. We cruised from Pireaus to Iraklio on the island of Crete which is the largest of the Greek islands. We hired a car and toured the island. It is wonderful to see the beautiful coastlines and the clear aqua waters. Crete has very rocky and high mountains. Pat spotted a pig and a lamb cooking on a spit outside a restaurant - so guess where we went for dinner? Dinner was great and very reasonably priced. We actually visited the islands in the low season which worked in our favour, as accommodation prices are lower, hire cars are cheaper and the crowds have gone home.
Next we boarded a ship to cruise from Crete to Santorini which is considered to be the jewel in the crown. Our departure time was 8:00pm but due to high winds our departure was delayed until 7:00am the following day. We spent the evening having a few cold beers and some Greek wine with a couple from New Zealand, Tania and Bobby.
As the Lonely Planet says: Stunning Santorini is surely the most spectacular of the Greek Islands. The massive caldera, lava layered cliffs and precarious cliff top towns exude an incomparable sense of drama and impermanence.
Upon arrival at the port of Santorini loads of touts were there to sell accommodation and provide transport to their resorts for the latest arrivals. We chose well and stayed at a lovely resort right on the Mediterranean. Our room (50 mts from the sea) had a balcony with views of a 20 km coastline. Once again the rate was extremely low due to it being out of season. We hired a car and had a great time exploring Santorini. Fira is the main city on the island and is a great place to walk around and explore. It is astonishing the way the buildings seem to hang off the cliffs. In early times these cities were built with narrow winding walkways to confuse the pirates but nowadays they do well to confuse the visitors. The little fishing village of Oia, famous for its sunsets, is spectacular and built high on the cliff. The buildings are painted white with window frames, shutters, doors and domed roofs painted a beautiful shade of blue. The islands are quite dry and arid with water being shipped in - the lucky ones have wells on their property.
Our next cruise was from Santorini to Mykonos - another beautiful island. We met a German couple on the boat, Tony and Elizabeth - Tony works for BMW in Munich and Elizabeth for Lufthansa. On this cruise we called into the islands of Sikinos, Ios and Naxos. Once again the touts were at the port of Mykonos to sell their accommodation but we had prebooked with a recommendation from Santorini - so Christina from Mama's Hotel was there to pick us up from the ship.
We hired a car with Tony and Elizabeth on Mykonos and had a great time sightseeing. Once again our room and balcony had beautiful views out across the sea. We noticed the different architecture on Mykonos - where Santorini had domed roofs, Mykonos had squared off flat roofs - once again the homes and buildings are painted white with blue trim - just spectacular. Next we cruised from Mykonos to Pireaus stopping off at Tiros and Syros. There are 1,400 islands in Greece so one thing about the Greek Islands is that there are so many islands and so little time! I guess we'll just have to come back.
The Greek people have been very welcoming and friendly with many able to speak English - Pat says he's noticed that most of them seem to have a relative in Melbourne!
Athens is a large spread out city. The Acropolis is a great place to visit, although I'm unsure about all the restoration work that is being done - every photo we have taken will probably have a workman or scaffold in it. Other great sights in Athens include the Parthenon, the Agora, the Temple of Hephaestus and the Temple of Zeus. We were checking out the city of Athens and had a great surprise when we met up with Colin and Helen the couple from Adelaide we met in Germany - it's a small world.
Tonight we will leave on a night train for Sofia in Bulgaria.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Seville Spain to Bari Italy 21st September 2007
We booked onto an open top bus tour of Seville and spent several hours touring this beautiful leafy and green city. An interesting visit is to Plaza de Torros (bull ring). The city of Cordoba has a large mosque and an old Jewish area. Some cities and towns have eliminated baggage lockers due to terrorism concerns and Cordoba was one of these places - this meant that we had to haul our backpacks all around with us as we weaved in and out of the narrow cobbled streets.
From Algecerius we took a bus to La Linea and walked over to Gibraltar. It is impossible to miss the great and imposing Rock of Gibraltar which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean.
We travelled over and across the Sierra Nevada ranges. It is amazing to see the vast and dry countryside of Spain latticed in green with olive tree plantations which seem to go on forever. In the evening we sat outside in a large square which was fully taken up with outdoor restaurants and had a wonderful dinner. We were surrounded by fountains which were all lit up and looked great. A magnificent place to visit at Granada is Alhambra.
To catch up on some time we took an overnight train and travelled on from Madrid to Barcelona. Barcelona is probably my favourite city in Spain it just seems to have a great atmosphere. Something I have noticed in Spain is the way older women dress - they dress so beautifully and seem to take time with their grooming. In Barcelona we also did the open top bus tour - a perfect way to sit in the sun and see the sights of a beautiful city.
Architecture by Gaudi is well worth seeing in Barcelona. I guess he appears to border on the eccentric but it becomes very easy to pick out his very distinctive work. He designed the church called the Temple de la Sagrada Familia which is just amazing to see. This building was commenced in 1882 and he worked on this project for over 40 years until his death in 1926. At the time of his death the building was only partially built but construction is ongoing to this day following his plans - all money for this project comes from private donations, financing and alms - it is expected to be completed in 2020.
We crossed the Spanish border into France and took the famous yellow train on the legendary rail line in the mountains to Latour de Carol. We met an Argentinian, Gustov on the French border at Portbou who told us about this train trip - we spent the next couple of days travelling together. From here we travelled onto the beautiful little country of Andorra up in the Pyrenees Mountains. This little country is sandwiched in between the mountains of Spain and France. The capital, Andorra La Vella is a shopper's paradise and an early smugglers' hideaway. The buildings of Andorra are very distinctively built of grey stone and trimmed with timber - they look great. The city is built at the bottom of the valley so any excursion means an uphill walk.
We travelled on to Pas de la Casa and Toulouse in France and then down to the French Riviera at San Raphael. The French Riviera is really a millionaires' paradise and quite a sight to see, not forgetting a visit to Cannes and Nice. The cars and boats in this area are something else. A special little principality is Monaco - beautiful gardens and the views across the bays are just great. The Grimaldi family has ruled over Monaco since the 1200's - Prince Albert is the current ruler following the death of his father, Prince Rainier.
The leaning Tower of Pisa is a sight to behold - it looks as though it would tip but work has been done recently to secure the building so hopefully it will be there for some time to come.
Rome is truly a wonderful city to visit. We visited St Peter's Basilica and attended Mass on the Sunday which was a special experience. On our tour we also visited the vaults where the previous Popes are buried and went to the grave of the last Pope, John Paul II. Other great places to visit in Rome are the Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, Roman Forum and the Catacombs. Rome is one big tourist attraction but fortunately most areas are easily accessible on foot and by subway. We were targeted once again by pickpockets - however we were fine - just need to be very aware.
We travelled on through Naples and Pompeii to Sorrento. We met up with Amanda from Proserpine (small world) so we decided to take the bus down the Amalfi Coast. This 50 klm stretch of coastline is absolutely breathtaking (as was the driving by the Italian bus driver). Further south in Italy we visited Paolo and crossed over to Messina by ferry and down to Milazzo on the island of Sicily.
The next few days were spent cruising around the beautiful volcano formed Aeolian Islands. We have very special family friends who come from these islands so it was a special treat to be able to visit their homeland - their daughter Margherite and I went to school together. Mr Paino comes from Stromboli and Mrs Paino comes from Filicudi. Stromboli is an amazing island and the volcano is alive and smoking! We stayed at Villa la Rosa on Filicudi, which is owned by relatives of Mrs Painos. To reach Villa la Rosa we had to climb half way up the mountain but when we reached the top the views across the sea were well worth the effort. A very special place and a great visit with Stefano and Daniella Rando at Villa la Rosa.
We have travelled up the east coast of Italy and are currently at Bari where we are waiting to leave by ship tonight for Patras, Greece.
From Algecerius we took a bus to La Linea and walked over to Gibraltar. It is impossible to miss the great and imposing Rock of Gibraltar which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean.
We travelled over and across the Sierra Nevada ranges. It is amazing to see the vast and dry countryside of Spain latticed in green with olive tree plantations which seem to go on forever. In the evening we sat outside in a large square which was fully taken up with outdoor restaurants and had a wonderful dinner. We were surrounded by fountains which were all lit up and looked great. A magnificent place to visit at Granada is Alhambra.
To catch up on some time we took an overnight train and travelled on from Madrid to Barcelona. Barcelona is probably my favourite city in Spain it just seems to have a great atmosphere. Something I have noticed in Spain is the way older women dress - they dress so beautifully and seem to take time with their grooming. In Barcelona we also did the open top bus tour - a perfect way to sit in the sun and see the sights of a beautiful city.
Architecture by Gaudi is well worth seeing in Barcelona. I guess he appears to border on the eccentric but it becomes very easy to pick out his very distinctive work. He designed the church called the Temple de la Sagrada Familia which is just amazing to see. This building was commenced in 1882 and he worked on this project for over 40 years until his death in 1926. At the time of his death the building was only partially built but construction is ongoing to this day following his plans - all money for this project comes from private donations, financing and alms - it is expected to be completed in 2020.
We crossed the Spanish border into France and took the famous yellow train on the legendary rail line in the mountains to Latour de Carol. We met an Argentinian, Gustov on the French border at Portbou who told us about this train trip - we spent the next couple of days travelling together. From here we travelled onto the beautiful little country of Andorra up in the Pyrenees Mountains. This little country is sandwiched in between the mountains of Spain and France. The capital, Andorra La Vella is a shopper's paradise and an early smugglers' hideaway. The buildings of Andorra are very distinctively built of grey stone and trimmed with timber - they look great. The city is built at the bottom of the valley so any excursion means an uphill walk.
We travelled on to Pas de la Casa and Toulouse in France and then down to the French Riviera at San Raphael. The French Riviera is really a millionaires' paradise and quite a sight to see, not forgetting a visit to Cannes and Nice. The cars and boats in this area are something else. A special little principality is Monaco - beautiful gardens and the views across the bays are just great. The Grimaldi family has ruled over Monaco since the 1200's - Prince Albert is the current ruler following the death of his father, Prince Rainier.
The leaning Tower of Pisa is a sight to behold - it looks as though it would tip but work has been done recently to secure the building so hopefully it will be there for some time to come.
Rome is truly a wonderful city to visit. We visited St Peter's Basilica and attended Mass on the Sunday which was a special experience. On our tour we also visited the vaults where the previous Popes are buried and went to the grave of the last Pope, John Paul II. Other great places to visit in Rome are the Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, Roman Forum and the Catacombs. Rome is one big tourist attraction but fortunately most areas are easily accessible on foot and by subway. We were targeted once again by pickpockets - however we were fine - just need to be very aware.
We travelled on through Naples and Pompeii to Sorrento. We met up with Amanda from Proserpine (small world) so we decided to take the bus down the Amalfi Coast. This 50 klm stretch of coastline is absolutely breathtaking (as was the driving by the Italian bus driver). Further south in Italy we visited Paolo and crossed over to Messina by ferry and down to Milazzo on the island of Sicily.
The next few days were spent cruising around the beautiful volcano formed Aeolian Islands. We have very special family friends who come from these islands so it was a special treat to be able to visit their homeland - their daughter Margherite and I went to school together. Mr Paino comes from Stromboli and Mrs Paino comes from Filicudi. Stromboli is an amazing island and the volcano is alive and smoking! We stayed at Villa la Rosa on Filicudi, which is owned by relatives of Mrs Painos. To reach Villa la Rosa we had to climb half way up the mountain but when we reached the top the views across the sea were well worth the effort. A very special place and a great visit with Stefano and Daniella Rando at Villa la Rosa.
We have travelled up the east coast of Italy and are currently at Bari where we are waiting to leave by ship tonight for Patras, Greece.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Guernsey - Channel Islands to Seville Spain 6th September 2007
The night before we left Martin, Teresa, Pat and I headed out for dinner to a restaurant on the west coast of Guernsey where we watched the sun set over the ocean. Quite a change for us, as back home our sun sets over the land. When we arrived home, Teresa served us real Madiera Cake, Madiera Port and Madiera Wine. Our stay on Guernsey was very relaxing and enjoyable. We said goodbye the following morning and have planned to meet up again in Australia and Madiera, Portugal in a few years time.
We travelled by ferry back to the mainland at St Malo and headed onto Le Mans in France, the home of the 24 hour car race. Travelling further through France we visited Bordeaux which is one of France´s premier wine growing areas - the region is divided into 57 production areas with over 5,000 chateaux around Bordeaux producing reds, roses, sweet whites, dry whites and sparkling wines. It is possible to buy exceptional wines in the supermarkets here for just a few Euros. Further along the city of Toulouse is home to the manufacturer of Airbus also known as La Ville Rose (the pink city) because of the profusion of rose-red brick buildings.
Lourdes is an amazing place and is one of the world´s most important religious pilgrimage sites, visited annually by approximately 6,000,000 people. In 1858 in this little village Bernadette Soubirous at the age of 14 years had a series of 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in a rock grotto at the bottom of the village. Bernadette was later canonized a saint. It is amazing to see the numbers of people who come to pray in the four places of worship and others who bathe in any of the 19 pools of water from the grotto. Many thousands of people are brought in wheelchairs praying and hoping for a cure. We visited the Churches and the Grotto, touched the walls and drank the water from the grotto - it is a wonderful experience.
The south coast of France is beautiful and the hillsides are covered in white homes with terracotta roofs. Heading south west we travelled through St Jean de Luz and crossed into Spain at San Sebastian, a beautiful city set on 3 huge bays (Bay of Biscay) with wide sandy beaches. We decided to have typical Spanish food for dinner and enjoyed Spanish Beer and Pintxos (tapas). We walked around the old city and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Spain. We´ve never seen so many Yorkshire Terriers in one place - it reminded us of Major and Finnigan who are probably wondering where the heck we are!
We travelled inland to Medina Del Campo and Leon, then headed northwards where our train wound its way through and over the beautiful mountains of north west Spain down to the north coast at Gijon. Spain is noted as being the second most mountainous European country after Switzerland. This north west corner is likened to parts of the Britain Isles and is often referred to as "Green Spain" - I could see why with the rolling green hills and hedges covering the landscape. The train hugged the coast down towards the cities of Vigo and Santiago de Compostela where we crossed the border into Portugal.
We met two brothers Luis and Alexis travelling with their Mother Elvia on the train. They originated from Cuba but have lived in Miami Florida since the family was young. It was so interesting to hear first hand accounts of life in Cuba from these vibrant personalities. The guys reckon their mother has been the best Mum in the world so they now spoil her by taking her away on holidays with them. The best part is that she is 80 years of age and looks wonderful.
Another day on one of our train trips in Spain a lovely gentleman sitting across the aisle from me leaned over and gave us four holy pictures and he chatted away in Spanish telling us to take care and look after ourselves. It´s little experiences like these that mean a lot and that we remember well.
Porto is Portugal´s second largest city and is built on steep hills which run all the way down to the Duoro River. This old-world river frontage district is yet another World Heritage Site. It is great to go exploring these old cities except that this time by the time we reached the bottom we then had to climb uphill all the way back home - the exercise is really great and we´re enjoying it very much. Our walk home took us up steep narrow cobbled streets with washing hanging out of the windows of these lofty houses. The following morning when we checked out of our guesthouse, the owner came out from behind the reception desk and gave us both kisses and cuddles goodbye! How nice!
The trip by train from Porto along the Duoro River and valley to Pocino is a very scenic route and truly magnificent. Portugal´s best known river flows through the country´s rural heartland where, in the upper reaches, port-wine grapes are grown on steep terraced hills. This river is navigable right across Portugal. In the evening, we walked along the boulevard beside the river at Regua and enjoyed a great dinner and a bottle of Portuguese wine. Yummo!
Our next trip south was by fast train - 220 klms per hour to Lisbon. Lisbon is another interesting city and from here we headed out to visit Sintra which has been the traditional summer retreat of Portugal´s kings. A very hilly place with stunning palaces and manors surrounded by lush green countryside. As we walked along the street we met up with Luis, Alexis and Elvia yet again and made arrangements to meet up for dinner in Lisbon.
In Lisbon we headed into the subway to buy our day ticket. The attendant at the station warned us to beware of pickpockets. Lo and behold as soon as we stepped into the carriage we were surrounded and hemmed in by four guys all in their 30´s - one of them dropped a map and bent down to pick it up - at the same time he had opened the flap on Pat´s wallet pocket - but thankfully Pat was too quick and slick for them and all was okay - at the next stop the four of them got off and then they went back onto the same train - probably looking for somebody else who might not be as aware as Pat. We are very aware of thieves but I guess it pays to be extra vigilant.
The train headed out of Lisbon to Tunes and then headed west to Lagos in the Algarve. The southern coast of Portugal is beautiful, reminding me of the big sweeping coastlines and our beautiful beaches at home. Once again these coastal towns and villages are whitewashed and terracotta tiled roofs with palm trees blowing in the wind - a beautiful sight. The footpaths and streets are paved with small cobblestones of white and black - in the evening the stones shine in the night lights.
We travelled across the southern coast of Portugal heading back towards Spain. Today we were in Tavira and Luz where young 3 year old Madeline McCann was abducted from in early May this year. It is a dreadful tragedy - her photos are on most shop windows keeping her in people´s minds. To date she has not been found.
Today´s means of transport has been by train, ferry, bus and taxi. We met and travelled with a great young Japanese couple Takehide and Chika who come from Kyoto. At Vila Real de San Antonio we crossed the river from Portugal back into Spain and then travelled east to the beautiful city of Seville.
We travelled by ferry back to the mainland at St Malo and headed onto Le Mans in France, the home of the 24 hour car race. Travelling further through France we visited Bordeaux which is one of France´s premier wine growing areas - the region is divided into 57 production areas with over 5,000 chateaux around Bordeaux producing reds, roses, sweet whites, dry whites and sparkling wines. It is possible to buy exceptional wines in the supermarkets here for just a few Euros. Further along the city of Toulouse is home to the manufacturer of Airbus also known as La Ville Rose (the pink city) because of the profusion of rose-red brick buildings.
Lourdes is an amazing place and is one of the world´s most important religious pilgrimage sites, visited annually by approximately 6,000,000 people. In 1858 in this little village Bernadette Soubirous at the age of 14 years had a series of 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in a rock grotto at the bottom of the village. Bernadette was later canonized a saint. It is amazing to see the numbers of people who come to pray in the four places of worship and others who bathe in any of the 19 pools of water from the grotto. Many thousands of people are brought in wheelchairs praying and hoping for a cure. We visited the Churches and the Grotto, touched the walls and drank the water from the grotto - it is a wonderful experience.
The south coast of France is beautiful and the hillsides are covered in white homes with terracotta roofs. Heading south west we travelled through St Jean de Luz and crossed into Spain at San Sebastian, a beautiful city set on 3 huge bays (Bay of Biscay) with wide sandy beaches. We decided to have typical Spanish food for dinner and enjoyed Spanish Beer and Pintxos (tapas). We walked around the old city and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Spain. We´ve never seen so many Yorkshire Terriers in one place - it reminded us of Major and Finnigan who are probably wondering where the heck we are!
We travelled inland to Medina Del Campo and Leon, then headed northwards where our train wound its way through and over the beautiful mountains of north west Spain down to the north coast at Gijon. Spain is noted as being the second most mountainous European country after Switzerland. This north west corner is likened to parts of the Britain Isles and is often referred to as "Green Spain" - I could see why with the rolling green hills and hedges covering the landscape. The train hugged the coast down towards the cities of Vigo and Santiago de Compostela where we crossed the border into Portugal.
We met two brothers Luis and Alexis travelling with their Mother Elvia on the train. They originated from Cuba but have lived in Miami Florida since the family was young. It was so interesting to hear first hand accounts of life in Cuba from these vibrant personalities. The guys reckon their mother has been the best Mum in the world so they now spoil her by taking her away on holidays with them. The best part is that she is 80 years of age and looks wonderful.
Another day on one of our train trips in Spain a lovely gentleman sitting across the aisle from me leaned over and gave us four holy pictures and he chatted away in Spanish telling us to take care and look after ourselves. It´s little experiences like these that mean a lot and that we remember well.
Porto is Portugal´s second largest city and is built on steep hills which run all the way down to the Duoro River. This old-world river frontage district is yet another World Heritage Site. It is great to go exploring these old cities except that this time by the time we reached the bottom we then had to climb uphill all the way back home - the exercise is really great and we´re enjoying it very much. Our walk home took us up steep narrow cobbled streets with washing hanging out of the windows of these lofty houses. The following morning when we checked out of our guesthouse, the owner came out from behind the reception desk and gave us both kisses and cuddles goodbye! How nice!
The trip by train from Porto along the Duoro River and valley to Pocino is a very scenic route and truly magnificent. Portugal´s best known river flows through the country´s rural heartland where, in the upper reaches, port-wine grapes are grown on steep terraced hills. This river is navigable right across Portugal. In the evening, we walked along the boulevard beside the river at Regua and enjoyed a great dinner and a bottle of Portuguese wine. Yummo!
Our next trip south was by fast train - 220 klms per hour to Lisbon. Lisbon is another interesting city and from here we headed out to visit Sintra which has been the traditional summer retreat of Portugal´s kings. A very hilly place with stunning palaces and manors surrounded by lush green countryside. As we walked along the street we met up with Luis, Alexis and Elvia yet again and made arrangements to meet up for dinner in Lisbon.
In Lisbon we headed into the subway to buy our day ticket. The attendant at the station warned us to beware of pickpockets. Lo and behold as soon as we stepped into the carriage we were surrounded and hemmed in by four guys all in their 30´s - one of them dropped a map and bent down to pick it up - at the same time he had opened the flap on Pat´s wallet pocket - but thankfully Pat was too quick and slick for them and all was okay - at the next stop the four of them got off and then they went back onto the same train - probably looking for somebody else who might not be as aware as Pat. We are very aware of thieves but I guess it pays to be extra vigilant.
The train headed out of Lisbon to Tunes and then headed west to Lagos in the Algarve. The southern coast of Portugal is beautiful, reminding me of the big sweeping coastlines and our beautiful beaches at home. Once again these coastal towns and villages are whitewashed and terracotta tiled roofs with palm trees blowing in the wind - a beautiful sight. The footpaths and streets are paved with small cobblestones of white and black - in the evening the stones shine in the night lights.
We travelled across the southern coast of Portugal heading back towards Spain. Today we were in Tavira and Luz where young 3 year old Madeline McCann was abducted from in early May this year. It is a dreadful tragedy - her photos are on most shop windows keeping her in people´s minds. To date she has not been found.
Today´s means of transport has been by train, ferry, bus and taxi. We met and travelled with a great young Japanese couple Takehide and Chika who come from Kyoto. At Vila Real de San Antonio we crossed the river from Portugal back into Spain and then travelled east to the beautiful city of Seville.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Kuopio - Finland to Guernsey - Channel Islands 27th August 2007
We booked onto the cruiser "Puijo" for a 5 hour trip down through the Finland lakes area to Heinavesi. We were boarding the cruiser when our English friend Chris arrived to take the same trip, although Chris took the longer trip and cruised further south. These lakes and islands of Finland are beautiful and particularly when the sky is blue and the sun is shining as it did for us. When we left the ship we went ashore and chatted to the local men sitting beside the lake. One could speak quite good English and told us the train station was 7 klms away so he insisted he drive us to the station. The next train was 2 hours away so we lay down on the seats and soaked up the sun for the next couple of hours. The train ambled its way down to Joensuu where we stayed for the night and then next day headed on down to Helsinki the capital of Finland. Halfway to Helsinki Chris boarded our train after spending the night on the boat.
In Helsinki we again met up with our Korean friend Chan and headed out for dinner together. While in Helsinki we booked onto an open top bus tour - these tours are great as it enables you to get on and off the bus as you like in the 24 hour period and they take visitors to all the great sites of the city. We visited an interesting outdoor market in Helsinki where Pat bought great little pepper & salt grinders (stainless steel of course!). A great part of travelling is the people we meet up with along the way. In Helsinki we said goodbye to Chris who headed off to Sweden and Denmark before heading home to England. We also said goodbye to Chan who headed off to St Petersburg and Moscow and then home to Korea. Perhaps we'll meet up next in Australia - we'll see!
The 3.5 hour crossing from Helsinki across the Bay of Finland to Tallin the capital of Estonia was by ship. We were entertained onboard by musicians, singers and comedians - we were heading into new territory and it did feel different. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were all previously behind the iron curtain - these countries are now opening up more and more and allowing visitors into their countries. The visitors of course bring the dollars which helps to boost the overall economy. When we pulled into the Port of Tallin we were the 9th large ship in the Port - of course Pat was outside watching the tying up and making sure all was going smoothly! As we entered Tallin the spires of the Old City graced the horizon so we headed up in that direction. The old city is very interesting - we seemed to be walking uphill most of the time over narrow, cobbled streets.
We left Tallin and headed south to Parnu which is the Gold Coast of Estonia. Parnu has huge wide, white sandy beaches where the population flocks to soak up the sun. The shoreline is dotted with restaurants and pubs - of course we had to have a nice cold Estonian beer! The tide goes out a long way so the beaches are very shallow and full of people. Since Estonia has been freed from the Soviets it is doing very nicely. The people of Estonia are reservedly friendly but after a smile in their direction they're fine and enjoy a chat.
Riga, the capital of Latvia also has an Old City where the old and the new are blended very nicely. Latvia has many pine forests which is easily seen travelling through by train. Our Eurail passes are not valid in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland so we pay as we go, however the fares are very reasonable. We travelled through Lithuania by bus to the capital Vilnius. This city is being given a facelift with money being spent in every direction especially in the Old City which has so much character.
We travelled by train to Warsaw the Capital of Poland. When we walked down into the Old City Square we were interviewed by Warsaw Radio - quite a neat experience. We visited the beautiful Cathedral where Pope John Paul II was based as Cardinal of Poland. It is a beautiful Cathedral and an amazing place to visit. At noon we went to a concert in the Cathedral - the organist was superb and the music was out of this world - I loved hearing Ave Maria being played on the organ with its pipes jutting up into the ceiling of the Cathedral. The Old City of Warsaw was flattened during the second world war but the people of Poland have painstakingly restored the buildings to their original brilliance. In the evening the Old City Square was alive with people - the restaurants flow outside onto the cobblestone square and the huge umbrellas are lit up - it is a sight to behold indeed.
We visited Poznan and then headed into Germany once again. When we arrived in the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in Berlin we walked to the Hotel which ended up being a 4 klm walk, but very enjoyable. We visited Checkpoint Charlie and went to see the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall which are now deteriorating over time. The Brandenburg Gate is wonderful to see, as is the Parliament Building - the Reichstaggebaude. Quite near the Gate is an odd looking memorial (comprised of hundreds of granite blocks of all sizes) to the Holocaust victims.
Our next trip was from Berlin to Halle to visit Ernst and Erna who we actually met at Dingo Beach. The day we arrived at the Halle station there were thousands of people but we didn't have too much trouble finding them - Erna was dressed in white and was carrying a red rose - a lovely welcome to Halle! We went out for a walk along the river and visited a castle. We also visited the birthplace of Haendal. It's great to stay with a family and experience the food, the customs and the language of the country. I was able to brush up on my school German and had a lot of fun doing so. Erna is a great cook and I have written down a few special recipes to try out when I get home.
Ernst and Erna took us to the city of Weimar where we met our personal guide, Klaus who was previously Ernst's English teacher. We visited Goethe's House and the Old City homes of Schiller and Litz. The City of Weimar is a beautiful city with loads of history and its easy to stroll around for hours on end. Klaus spoke wonderful English and we had a great day out with him he was able to give us a lot of history about the city.
We had a very sad visit to Buchenwald Concentration Camp where 50,000 people died or were put to death over a four year period during WWII. The camp is in amongst the forests of trees just a few miles on the outskirts of Weimar where the Nazis had their main base during the war. I won't say too much about this visit except to say that it was the coldest place I have ever visited and thinking about what was done and the way it was done to these poor people is beyond comprehension. This has been our first and last visit to a concentration camp.
After a great few days in Halle we said goodbye to Ernst and Erna - I think we'll be meeting up again at Dingo Beach down the track. We left Halle and headed down along the Rhine River to Koblenz. At Koblenz we decided to head back up the Rhine River on the train on the opposite bank to make sure we saw all the great views. We then boarded a beautiful old paddle steamer and cruised down the Rhine River for a dinner cruise. Vineyards climb from the river to the tops of the mountains - some vineyards are vertical - some horizontal. By the time we arrived back in Koblenz, we had been on two train trips and one boat cruise along this most scenic part of the river.
The following day we boarded a KD cruiser for a trip up the Moselle River in the Moselle Valley. While we were waiting for the boat we met up with a couple of Aussies, Colin and Helen from Adelaide - I just couldn't miss the broad accents! It rained for some of this trip but lifted by about midday so we were able to enjoy this beautiful area which is smaller than the Rhine. We left the boat at Cochem and headed to Trier. We met up with Colin and Helen once again and went out together for dinner together in the evening.
In Trier we visited the old Roman Ruins which are the oldest in Germany. We also visited the Cathedral where robes which (it is claimed) belonged to Jesus Christ and are stored in a glass vault. These robes were put on display in 1959 and will be put on display once again in 2012. Our next stop was the beautiful city of Luxembourg. We locked our bags in a security locker at the station and headed into the city. Luxembourg is a tax haven and many people have money tucked away in this little country. The city is very appealing and once again has an Old City with cobbled streets.
Next stop - Paris! We had tired of eating in Restaurants so went shopping and bought a barbecued chicken and salad and had dinner in our Hotel room with a bottle of wine from the Rhine valley - heaven! The Eiffel Tower is a wonderful place to see - no trip to Paris would be complete without it. We also visited the Latin Quarter, the Arc de Triomphe, the River Seine and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. We headed to the Louvre and after this visit our legs and feet were wrecked! The Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo are the two biggest attractions which are great to see in reality. We strolled along the Champs Elyses and bought a little present for Kelli's birthday next week. Pat had his photo taken with the French Car Racing Team while we were in Paris - Ooh La La!
Our next train trip was Paris to St Malo on the coast of France where we boarded a ferry for a 2 hour trip to St Peter Port on Guernsey one of the Channel Islands. My cousin Martin and his wife Teresa live and work on Guernsey. Martin left Belfast in 1992 and headed to the Channel Islands to work where he met his lovely Portuguese wife, Teresa. The last time Martin and I saw each other was in 1969 when he was 7 years old and I was 19 years old. Teresa took us out for a walk along the hills of the coastline near their home - the views are beautiful out across the craggy coastline and across the sea.
Guernsey is a beautiful little island and has 65,000 residents. The tax rate on Guernsey is 20% after the first £8,500. Yesterday Pat and I took Martin's car and headed out for a drive - in one hour we had toured around the whole coastline of Guernsey. The coastline is dotted with lovely bays and villages. Guernsey is very beautiful - a quiet and peaceful place.
In Helsinki we again met up with our Korean friend Chan and headed out for dinner together. While in Helsinki we booked onto an open top bus tour - these tours are great as it enables you to get on and off the bus as you like in the 24 hour period and they take visitors to all the great sites of the city. We visited an interesting outdoor market in Helsinki where Pat bought great little pepper & salt grinders (stainless steel of course!). A great part of travelling is the people we meet up with along the way. In Helsinki we said goodbye to Chris who headed off to Sweden and Denmark before heading home to England. We also said goodbye to Chan who headed off to St Petersburg and Moscow and then home to Korea. Perhaps we'll meet up next in Australia - we'll see!
The 3.5 hour crossing from Helsinki across the Bay of Finland to Tallin the capital of Estonia was by ship. We were entertained onboard by musicians, singers and comedians - we were heading into new territory and it did feel different. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were all previously behind the iron curtain - these countries are now opening up more and more and allowing visitors into their countries. The visitors of course bring the dollars which helps to boost the overall economy. When we pulled into the Port of Tallin we were the 9th large ship in the Port - of course Pat was outside watching the tying up and making sure all was going smoothly! As we entered Tallin the spires of the Old City graced the horizon so we headed up in that direction. The old city is very interesting - we seemed to be walking uphill most of the time over narrow, cobbled streets.
We left Tallin and headed south to Parnu which is the Gold Coast of Estonia. Parnu has huge wide, white sandy beaches where the population flocks to soak up the sun. The shoreline is dotted with restaurants and pubs - of course we had to have a nice cold Estonian beer! The tide goes out a long way so the beaches are very shallow and full of people. Since Estonia has been freed from the Soviets it is doing very nicely. The people of Estonia are reservedly friendly but after a smile in their direction they're fine and enjoy a chat.
Riga, the capital of Latvia also has an Old City where the old and the new are blended very nicely. Latvia has many pine forests which is easily seen travelling through by train. Our Eurail passes are not valid in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland so we pay as we go, however the fares are very reasonable. We travelled through Lithuania by bus to the capital Vilnius. This city is being given a facelift with money being spent in every direction especially in the Old City which has so much character.
We travelled by train to Warsaw the Capital of Poland. When we walked down into the Old City Square we were interviewed by Warsaw Radio - quite a neat experience. We visited the beautiful Cathedral where Pope John Paul II was based as Cardinal of Poland. It is a beautiful Cathedral and an amazing place to visit. At noon we went to a concert in the Cathedral - the organist was superb and the music was out of this world - I loved hearing Ave Maria being played on the organ with its pipes jutting up into the ceiling of the Cathedral. The Old City of Warsaw was flattened during the second world war but the people of Poland have painstakingly restored the buildings to their original brilliance. In the evening the Old City Square was alive with people - the restaurants flow outside onto the cobblestone square and the huge umbrellas are lit up - it is a sight to behold indeed.
We visited Poznan and then headed into Germany once again. When we arrived in the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in Berlin we walked to the Hotel which ended up being a 4 klm walk, but very enjoyable. We visited Checkpoint Charlie and went to see the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall which are now deteriorating over time. The Brandenburg Gate is wonderful to see, as is the Parliament Building - the Reichstaggebaude. Quite near the Gate is an odd looking memorial (comprised of hundreds of granite blocks of all sizes) to the Holocaust victims.
Our next trip was from Berlin to Halle to visit Ernst and Erna who we actually met at Dingo Beach. The day we arrived at the Halle station there were thousands of people but we didn't have too much trouble finding them - Erna was dressed in white and was carrying a red rose - a lovely welcome to Halle! We went out for a walk along the river and visited a castle. We also visited the birthplace of Haendal. It's great to stay with a family and experience the food, the customs and the language of the country. I was able to brush up on my school German and had a lot of fun doing so. Erna is a great cook and I have written down a few special recipes to try out when I get home.
Ernst and Erna took us to the city of Weimar where we met our personal guide, Klaus who was previously Ernst's English teacher. We visited Goethe's House and the Old City homes of Schiller and Litz. The City of Weimar is a beautiful city with loads of history and its easy to stroll around for hours on end. Klaus spoke wonderful English and we had a great day out with him he was able to give us a lot of history about the city.
We had a very sad visit to Buchenwald Concentration Camp where 50,000 people died or were put to death over a four year period during WWII. The camp is in amongst the forests of trees just a few miles on the outskirts of Weimar where the Nazis had their main base during the war. I won't say too much about this visit except to say that it was the coldest place I have ever visited and thinking about what was done and the way it was done to these poor people is beyond comprehension. This has been our first and last visit to a concentration camp.
After a great few days in Halle we said goodbye to Ernst and Erna - I think we'll be meeting up again at Dingo Beach down the track. We left Halle and headed down along the Rhine River to Koblenz. At Koblenz we decided to head back up the Rhine River on the train on the opposite bank to make sure we saw all the great views. We then boarded a beautiful old paddle steamer and cruised down the Rhine River for a dinner cruise. Vineyards climb from the river to the tops of the mountains - some vineyards are vertical - some horizontal. By the time we arrived back in Koblenz, we had been on two train trips and one boat cruise along this most scenic part of the river.
The following day we boarded a KD cruiser for a trip up the Moselle River in the Moselle Valley. While we were waiting for the boat we met up with a couple of Aussies, Colin and Helen from Adelaide - I just couldn't miss the broad accents! It rained for some of this trip but lifted by about midday so we were able to enjoy this beautiful area which is smaller than the Rhine. We left the boat at Cochem and headed to Trier. We met up with Colin and Helen once again and went out together for dinner together in the evening.
In Trier we visited the old Roman Ruins which are the oldest in Germany. We also visited the Cathedral where robes which (it is claimed) belonged to Jesus Christ and are stored in a glass vault. These robes were put on display in 1959 and will be put on display once again in 2012. Our next stop was the beautiful city of Luxembourg. We locked our bags in a security locker at the station and headed into the city. Luxembourg is a tax haven and many people have money tucked away in this little country. The city is very appealing and once again has an Old City with cobbled streets.
Next stop - Paris! We had tired of eating in Restaurants so went shopping and bought a barbecued chicken and salad and had dinner in our Hotel room with a bottle of wine from the Rhine valley - heaven! The Eiffel Tower is a wonderful place to see - no trip to Paris would be complete without it. We also visited the Latin Quarter, the Arc de Triomphe, the River Seine and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. We headed to the Louvre and after this visit our legs and feet were wrecked! The Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo are the two biggest attractions which are great to see in reality. We strolled along the Champs Elyses and bought a little present for Kelli's birthday next week. Pat had his photo taken with the French Car Racing Team while we were in Paris - Ooh La La!
Our next train trip was Paris to St Malo on the coast of France where we boarded a ferry for a 2 hour trip to St Peter Port on Guernsey one of the Channel Islands. My cousin Martin and his wife Teresa live and work on Guernsey. Martin left Belfast in 1992 and headed to the Channel Islands to work where he met his lovely Portuguese wife, Teresa. The last time Martin and I saw each other was in 1969 when he was 7 years old and I was 19 years old. Teresa took us out for a walk along the hills of the coastline near their home - the views are beautiful out across the craggy coastline and across the sea.
Guernsey is a beautiful little island and has 65,000 residents. The tax rate on Guernsey is 20% after the first £8,500. Yesterday Pat and I took Martin's car and headed out for a drive - in one hour we had toured around the whole coastline of Guernsey. The coastline is dotted with lovely bays and villages. Guernsey is very beautiful - a quiet and peaceful place.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Helsingborg, Sweden to Kuopio, Finland 8th August 2007
We travelled on the train from Helsingborg south to Lund and then headed north again to Goteborg a beautiful city on the west coast of Sweden. Train is really the way to travel here in Europe - just sit back, relax and watch the beautiful countryside go by - eagle eye Pat even spotted a deer! Sweden has lots of lush, green farming land and plenty of fresh water. Our trip from Goteborg to Stockholm was by fast train across the country - noticing the large barns for housing the cattle in the winter. I have found the Swedish people to be very friendly indeed and have met some wonderful people along the way. In Stockholm we visited the Old City and checked out the harbour - somehow we are always drawn towards the sea. The Scandinavian countries are very, very expensive so it is worthwhile to plan a bit of a budget.
We travelled from Stockholm through the lovely lakes area of Sweden towards Oslo in Norway. We have both noticed a great similarity between the brilliant countryside in Scandinavia with Canada and particularly British Columbia. On a train one day we sat beside a lovely Swedish gentleman by the name of Allan - Allan is 86 years of age and looks a treat! He was handsomely dressed in a suit and was on a mission for his grandson. He was hand delivering his grandson's Russian visa application to the Russian embassy in Stockholm. This involved getting up at 3am - driving for 1 hour to the train - travelling by train for several hours to the city and walking to the embassy - of course he then reversed the trip and headed home. We had a wonderful conversation on the train - it was our absolute pleasure to meet such a gentleman.
On the train to Oslo we also met up with a Chinese gentleman from Shanghai and spent the afternoon sightseeing together. We walked around the city and up to the Palace of the Norwegian Royal Family where we saw the changing of the guard. The following day we headed out of Oslo to Bergen on the west coast of Norway. The train trip across the mountains into Bergen is nothing short of spectacular - glorious scenery and snow capped mountains. This is considered to be one of the world's best train trips. Bergen is beautifully set amongst seven mountains and seven fiords and is a major centre for visiting the fiords. On one side of the harbour in Bergen is Bryggen which is a UNESCO World Heritage attraction - the oldest buildings date back to 1702 but the building pattern is 900 years old. We walked around the fish markets at the wharf and bought smoked wild salmon and prawns for dinner back at our apartment - yummo!
The World's Longest Fiord - so what is Western Norway best know for? The dramatic fiords - and the Sognefjord is the longest of them all, 204 km, cutting inland halfway to the Swedish border. The fjords were carved by ice during a series of ice ages, the most recent of them 10,000 years ago. The deepest fjord is 1,308 metres - if the fjord were drained of water, the surrounding mountains would rise almost twice as high above us. The fjord is the soul of Western Norway, separating yet connecting, and partly explains the rich variation in dialects. Norway can thank the warm Gulf Stream for the lush green and which is roughly the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.
Following our cruise down Sognefjord we boarded a smaller boat and headed into Naeroyfjorden which is the narrowest fiord and is also a World Heritage site. At Gudvangen at the end of the fiords we boarded a bus and headed up higher into the mountains and onto Voss - once again spectacular - it needs to be seen to be believed - this area of the world is truly magnificent. From Voss we boarded a train and headed back to Bergen. This west coast of Norway has something like 270 days a year of rain - so expect rain when you visit! We left Bergen and headed back to Oslo where we boarded a night sleeper train and headed north to Trondheim and Bodo. Once again the scenery is spectacular - beautiful lakes and waterfalls - and we have crossed into the Arctic Circle.
At Bodo we boarded a ferry and headed to Moskenes on the Lufoten Islands. We met Chan from South Korea on the ferry and also spent time sightseeing together. We took the bus to a little fishing village called Ä on the southern part of the island and checked into the Grocery Store - the village and fishermen's huts have been converted into accommodation houses. We walked out onto the jetty and behind us was the most magnificent scenery and dramatic mountains - a good location to call home and chat with all the crew!
We took the bus north to Svolvaer driving through and past these magnificent mountains which they say have been formed from glaciers and ice. All the islands in the Lufoten group are joined by bridges so it is possible to drive from one end to the other - unfortunately there were no hire cars available till the following week. Svolvaer is a great place to visit on the islands - a great place to sit in the sun and eat a great Scandinavian hot dog and an ice cream! From Svolvaer we travelled across on the ferry for four hours to Narvic which is 300 km north of the Arctic Circle which is the furtherest north we have travelled. We walked around the city and didn't get to bed until quite late at 1:15am. It is an amazing experience to see sunshine at 10 and 11:00 pm and to see a bright sky all through the night - it certainly throws any sleep pattern out the window!
We travelled from Narvic back through Sweden to Haparanda on the Finland border. We checked into a magnificent old Hotel which was built in 1898 but in wonderful condition - and it still is a flash hotel. One of the great things about travelling around is the people we meet up with. We met up with Chris who is a chef from Cambridge so we teamed up for a couple of days. The following morning we walked from Sweden to Finland! In this part of northern Finland if there is no train where there should be one, the Government provides a bus free of charge between stations - brilliant!
From Tornio on the border we headed to Kemi and Rovaniemi. A trip to Rovaniemi would not be complete without a visit to Santa Claus now would it? The bus left Rovaniemi for the trip up to Santa's village in Npapiiri which is right inside the Arctic Circle. This is the official address of all mail that is posted to Santa at the North Pole - he even has his own post office! We organised a Christmas Delivery Postcard for Flynn, Liam and the new baby (due October 21st) and our two little nieces Riley and Charli. We had some time to kill in Kemi before the train was due to depart so visited a lovely little pub in the main street. Four Finnish guys came up to ask where we came from - it's always great to say "We're from Australia". One of the guys told me he noticed what a happy person I am and that he can see I have a "laughing heart" - I guess Pat will need a bit of time to think about that one!
The trip from Rovaniemi south to Kuopio is very leisurely and winds down through more lakes than I've ever seen. I think everybody in Finland could own a waterfront block with plenty left over for the tourists. Kuopio is situated on the edge of a very large lake - tomorrow we're planning a trip on a ferry to points south on the lake where we will link up with the train once again. This evening we spent a leisurely time sipping a Finnish beer (or two) and eating a pizza on the edge of the lake - yes it is special!
We travelled from Stockholm through the lovely lakes area of Sweden towards Oslo in Norway. We have both noticed a great similarity between the brilliant countryside in Scandinavia with Canada and particularly British Columbia. On a train one day we sat beside a lovely Swedish gentleman by the name of Allan - Allan is 86 years of age and looks a treat! He was handsomely dressed in a suit and was on a mission for his grandson. He was hand delivering his grandson's Russian visa application to the Russian embassy in Stockholm. This involved getting up at 3am - driving for 1 hour to the train - travelling by train for several hours to the city and walking to the embassy - of course he then reversed the trip and headed home. We had a wonderful conversation on the train - it was our absolute pleasure to meet such a gentleman.
On the train to Oslo we also met up with a Chinese gentleman from Shanghai and spent the afternoon sightseeing together. We walked around the city and up to the Palace of the Norwegian Royal Family where we saw the changing of the guard. The following day we headed out of Oslo to Bergen on the west coast of Norway. The train trip across the mountains into Bergen is nothing short of spectacular - glorious scenery and snow capped mountains. This is considered to be one of the world's best train trips. Bergen is beautifully set amongst seven mountains and seven fiords and is a major centre for visiting the fiords. On one side of the harbour in Bergen is Bryggen which is a UNESCO World Heritage attraction - the oldest buildings date back to 1702 but the building pattern is 900 years old. We walked around the fish markets at the wharf and bought smoked wild salmon and prawns for dinner back at our apartment - yummo!
The World's Longest Fiord - so what is Western Norway best know for? The dramatic fiords - and the Sognefjord is the longest of them all, 204 km, cutting inland halfway to the Swedish border. The fjords were carved by ice during a series of ice ages, the most recent of them 10,000 years ago. The deepest fjord is 1,308 metres - if the fjord were drained of water, the surrounding mountains would rise almost twice as high above us. The fjord is the soul of Western Norway, separating yet connecting, and partly explains the rich variation in dialects. Norway can thank the warm Gulf Stream for the lush green and which is roughly the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.
Following our cruise down Sognefjord we boarded a smaller boat and headed into Naeroyfjorden which is the narrowest fiord and is also a World Heritage site. At Gudvangen at the end of the fiords we boarded a bus and headed up higher into the mountains and onto Voss - once again spectacular - it needs to be seen to be believed - this area of the world is truly magnificent. From Voss we boarded a train and headed back to Bergen. This west coast of Norway has something like 270 days a year of rain - so expect rain when you visit! We left Bergen and headed back to Oslo where we boarded a night sleeper train and headed north to Trondheim and Bodo. Once again the scenery is spectacular - beautiful lakes and waterfalls - and we have crossed into the Arctic Circle.
At Bodo we boarded a ferry and headed to Moskenes on the Lufoten Islands. We met Chan from South Korea on the ferry and also spent time sightseeing together. We took the bus to a little fishing village called Ä on the southern part of the island and checked into the Grocery Store - the village and fishermen's huts have been converted into accommodation houses. We walked out onto the jetty and behind us was the most magnificent scenery and dramatic mountains - a good location to call home and chat with all the crew!
We took the bus north to Svolvaer driving through and past these magnificent mountains which they say have been formed from glaciers and ice. All the islands in the Lufoten group are joined by bridges so it is possible to drive from one end to the other - unfortunately there were no hire cars available till the following week. Svolvaer is a great place to visit on the islands - a great place to sit in the sun and eat a great Scandinavian hot dog and an ice cream! From Svolvaer we travelled across on the ferry for four hours to Narvic which is 300 km north of the Arctic Circle which is the furtherest north we have travelled. We walked around the city and didn't get to bed until quite late at 1:15am. It is an amazing experience to see sunshine at 10 and 11:00 pm and to see a bright sky all through the night - it certainly throws any sleep pattern out the window!
We travelled from Narvic back through Sweden to Haparanda on the Finland border. We checked into a magnificent old Hotel which was built in 1898 but in wonderful condition - and it still is a flash hotel. One of the great things about travelling around is the people we meet up with. We met up with Chris who is a chef from Cambridge so we teamed up for a couple of days. The following morning we walked from Sweden to Finland! In this part of northern Finland if there is no train where there should be one, the Government provides a bus free of charge between stations - brilliant!
From Tornio on the border we headed to Kemi and Rovaniemi. A trip to Rovaniemi would not be complete without a visit to Santa Claus now would it? The bus left Rovaniemi for the trip up to Santa's village in Npapiiri which is right inside the Arctic Circle. This is the official address of all mail that is posted to Santa at the North Pole - he even has his own post office! We organised a Christmas Delivery Postcard for Flynn, Liam and the new baby (due October 21st) and our two little nieces Riley and Charli. We had some time to kill in Kemi before the train was due to depart so visited a lovely little pub in the main street. Four Finnish guys came up to ask where we came from - it's always great to say "We're from Australia". One of the guys told me he noticed what a happy person I am and that he can see I have a "laughing heart" - I guess Pat will need a bit of time to think about that one!
The trip from Rovaniemi south to Kuopio is very leisurely and winds down through more lakes than I've ever seen. I think everybody in Finland could own a waterfront block with plenty left over for the tourists. Kuopio is situated on the edge of a very large lake - tomorrow we're planning a trip on a ferry to points south on the lake where we will link up with the train once again. This evening we spent a leisurely time sipping a Finnish beer (or two) and eating a pizza on the edge of the lake - yes it is special!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Deal, England to Helsingborg, Sweden 28th July 2007
We headed out of Deal towards Dover where we checked onto the ferry for the crossing to France. We said goodbye to Sam & Regi and headed out of England with a view across to the White Cliffs of Dover. It certainly pays to shop around for prices (ferry crossing from Dover to Calais) P&O gave us a foot passenger price of £17 each which included a £1 Eurail pass discount, however we chose Sea France as they gave us a price of £6 each after also giving us a £6 Eurail pass discount. Our Eurail Passes for Europe are for 1st class travel which is very spacious and comfortable - these tickets are for 3 months of unlimited train travel in 18 countries of Europe - 2nd class Eurail travel passes are only available up to the age of about 30.
After arriving at Calais we kickstarted our Eurail passes, boarded a French train and headed north to Lille in France. We visited the old City of Brugge in Belgium where we visited the Church of Our Lady. Inside was a Statue of the Madonna & Child carved in Carrera marble by Michael Angelo (1504 - 1505) the faces on this statue are just superb. After leaving Brugge we travelled onto the magnificent City of Brussels. We visited St Nicholas Catholic Church and went to Mass there which was being said by a Priest from the Congo in Africa. Brussels has great architecture and many of the streets are cobblestones. The old part of the city has a wonderful atmosphere - restaurants and musicians spill out into the street - all are offering meals at competitive rates and trying to outdo the prices and the splendour of the next restaurant. We chose well and enjoyed a wonderful meal in this very vibrant city.
Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the largest port in Europe - here we enjoyed Australian home made icecream. The countryside in this part of Europe is very low and most of the country is at or below sea level. Most people speak English as their second language so there is no problem getting around and being understood. After leaving Rotterdam we travelled up through The Hague and onto Amsterdam.
What can I say about Amsterdam? Amsterdam has very liberal views in relation to drugs and prostitution. It will be interesting to see what becomes of all the Coffee Shops with their cannabis lounges when the No Smoking laws come into being in 2008. A walk through the red light district of Amsterdam is of course very interesting with the girls sitting in large windows attempting to lure in passers by. Many of the buildings appear to be leaning in different directions - we've since found out that many of them have been built with the upper floors fanning outwards to shelter the lower floors from rain. Amsterdam is a city of bicycles and canals - more bikes than I've ever seen before. We bought some crackers and cheese in the city from an authentic cheese shop - we had to try out 'Bertha's Kruid Kass' cheese - the cheesemaker said Bertha is his oldest and best cow! The cheese was very good indeed.
On the train trip from Amsterdam to Hamburg, Germany we met a delightful Canadian family from Edmonton who have taken 6 months off to do extensive world travel with their two teenage children. All going well, Barry & Margaret with their children Tessa & Connor will call into Dingo Beach for a visit in December. The children are having a very worldly education for the next six months - it was great to hear them chatting comfortably with other passengers.
Hamburg is a huge city. We went for a cruise on the River Elbe in a paddlesteamer ¨The Louisiana Star¨and were amazed at the size of the Port which is the largest in Germany. Hamburg is a container port and the containers were being stacked onto numerous ships - the number of container cranes on the seafront was unbelievable. The Queen Mary 2 was also in port and our paddlesteamer pulled up alongside and cruised past the bow - what a huge ship.
We left Hamburg in a 4 carriage train and headed for the coast where the train was loaded directly onto the ferry beside all the trucks and heavy transport. We left our train carriage and went upstairs to enjoy the view and the 45 minute ferry crossing into Denmark. Once we were ashore the train just drove straight out of the ferry and we were back on the land - something a little different. Denmark is a vastly wealthy country with the majority of Danes enjoying a high quality of living.
Copenhagen is a very attractive city and is the home of Hans Christian Andersen. We visited the Church in the city where Mary Donaldson and Prince Frederick were married. Amalienborg Palace has been the home of the Danish Royal Family since 1794. The Palace is comprised of four austere mansions which surround the central square and are guarded by sentries. These guards are relieved at noon by a ceremonial changing of the guards which was wonderful to watch. The Danish Royal Family live comfortably amongst the citizens of Copenhagen and supposedly are often seen out shopping in the city.
We had a big surprise in Copenhagen by running into friends Justin & Kylie with their two daughters. The last time we saw them was about 7 years ago when they left Burton Coal Mine - it certainly can be a small world! They currently live and work in Indonesia but were in Denmark on holidays.
A good way to view cities such as Copenhagen is by water so we went on a leisurely canal cruise which travelled along the waterways, up the canals, under bridges and up past the statue of The Little Mermaid. It was sad to hear that the original statue was stolen and has since been replaced twice due to theft. Every city and town in Europe seems to have a famous Church, building or museum - of course we cannot visit every one - to do so would mean settling in for a few years!
We headed north of Copenhagen to Helsingor where Kromborg Castle guards the seaway. This is where Shakespeare based his play Hamlet. From here we made a 4 klm ferry crossing to Helsingborg in Sweden. Sweden is having a Festival this weekend so it looks like everyone has come to this coastal city for the music and celebrations - so I guess if we can't beat them we might as well join them.
After arriving at Calais we kickstarted our Eurail passes, boarded a French train and headed north to Lille in France. We visited the old City of Brugge in Belgium where we visited the Church of Our Lady. Inside was a Statue of the Madonna & Child carved in Carrera marble by Michael Angelo (1504 - 1505) the faces on this statue are just superb. After leaving Brugge we travelled onto the magnificent City of Brussels. We visited St Nicholas Catholic Church and went to Mass there which was being said by a Priest from the Congo in Africa. Brussels has great architecture and many of the streets are cobblestones. The old part of the city has a wonderful atmosphere - restaurants and musicians spill out into the street - all are offering meals at competitive rates and trying to outdo the prices and the splendour of the next restaurant. We chose well and enjoyed a wonderful meal in this very vibrant city.
Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the largest port in Europe - here we enjoyed Australian home made icecream. The countryside in this part of Europe is very low and most of the country is at or below sea level. Most people speak English as their second language so there is no problem getting around and being understood. After leaving Rotterdam we travelled up through The Hague and onto Amsterdam.
What can I say about Amsterdam? Amsterdam has very liberal views in relation to drugs and prostitution. It will be interesting to see what becomes of all the Coffee Shops with their cannabis lounges when the No Smoking laws come into being in 2008. A walk through the red light district of Amsterdam is of course very interesting with the girls sitting in large windows attempting to lure in passers by. Many of the buildings appear to be leaning in different directions - we've since found out that many of them have been built with the upper floors fanning outwards to shelter the lower floors from rain. Amsterdam is a city of bicycles and canals - more bikes than I've ever seen before. We bought some crackers and cheese in the city from an authentic cheese shop - we had to try out 'Bertha's Kruid Kass' cheese - the cheesemaker said Bertha is his oldest and best cow! The cheese was very good indeed.
On the train trip from Amsterdam to Hamburg, Germany we met a delightful Canadian family from Edmonton who have taken 6 months off to do extensive world travel with their two teenage children. All going well, Barry & Margaret with their children Tessa & Connor will call into Dingo Beach for a visit in December. The children are having a very worldly education for the next six months - it was great to hear them chatting comfortably with other passengers.
Hamburg is a huge city. We went for a cruise on the River Elbe in a paddlesteamer ¨The Louisiana Star¨and were amazed at the size of the Port which is the largest in Germany. Hamburg is a container port and the containers were being stacked onto numerous ships - the number of container cranes on the seafront was unbelievable. The Queen Mary 2 was also in port and our paddlesteamer pulled up alongside and cruised past the bow - what a huge ship.
We left Hamburg in a 4 carriage train and headed for the coast where the train was loaded directly onto the ferry beside all the trucks and heavy transport. We left our train carriage and went upstairs to enjoy the view and the 45 minute ferry crossing into Denmark. Once we were ashore the train just drove straight out of the ferry and we were back on the land - something a little different. Denmark is a vastly wealthy country with the majority of Danes enjoying a high quality of living.
Copenhagen is a very attractive city and is the home of Hans Christian Andersen. We visited the Church in the city where Mary Donaldson and Prince Frederick were married. Amalienborg Palace has been the home of the Danish Royal Family since 1794. The Palace is comprised of four austere mansions which surround the central square and are guarded by sentries. These guards are relieved at noon by a ceremonial changing of the guards which was wonderful to watch. The Danish Royal Family live comfortably amongst the citizens of Copenhagen and supposedly are often seen out shopping in the city.
We had a big surprise in Copenhagen by running into friends Justin & Kylie with their two daughters. The last time we saw them was about 7 years ago when they left Burton Coal Mine - it certainly can be a small world! They currently live and work in Indonesia but were in Denmark on holidays.
A good way to view cities such as Copenhagen is by water so we went on a leisurely canal cruise which travelled along the waterways, up the canals, under bridges and up past the statue of The Little Mermaid. It was sad to hear that the original statue was stolen and has since been replaced twice due to theft. Every city and town in Europe seems to have a famous Church, building or museum - of course we cannot visit every one - to do so would mean settling in for a few years!
We headed north of Copenhagen to Helsingor where Kromborg Castle guards the seaway. This is where Shakespeare based his play Hamlet. From here we made a 4 klm ferry crossing to Helsingborg in Sweden. Sweden is having a Festival this weekend so it looks like everyone has come to this coastal city for the music and celebrations - so I guess if we can't beat them we might as well join them.
Monday, July 23, 2007
London, England to Deal, England 23rd July 2007
We headed out of London by train to Salisbury and via Bath to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is the most outstanding prehistoric monument in the British Isles and is a World Heritage Site. Ancient people mapped the course of the sun and moon to build this monument. 7,000 years ago the area was mixed pine and hazel woodland before becoming downland. The larger stones are called Sarsen stones and were brought from the Marlborough Downs 30 klm away and the smaller stones, known as Bluestones, were from the mystical Preseli Mountains in Wales, 385 klm away. It is believed the stones from Wales were brought here some 5,000 years ago and that they were transported up along the waterways. This is a very interesting site to visit. We headed back to London via Southampton into Brighton. Brighton is England's 'Riviera' and it was great to see the open sea and the blue sky. The beaches are devoid of sand and are fully comprised of medium sized rounded stones.
We visited the Thames River, the London Eye, Docklands and walked across the Millennium Bridge. The ship The Cutty Sark was recently set alight but is currently being rebuilt. We travelled on the Docklands Railway to the Royal Observatory - home of Greenwich Mean Time, and visited the National Maritime Museum which was very interesting - of course anything to do with the sea and Pat is hooked.
We visited the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and then headed out of London by train to Hastings on the coast. This is the famous site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. We then stepped back in time and travelled north to the ancient city of Rye, where buildings look as they did centuries ago. The streets are narrow and winding and make for an interesting walking tour of the town. That evening back in London, we visited Chinatown and of course had a Chinese buffet for dinner.
England has been very wet whilst we have been here, however it has not hindered us from touring and site seeing - fortunately we have missed the areas of major flooding. We bought raincoats in Ireland and have certainly put them to good use.
London is not complete without a visit to Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Windsor Castle, Windsor Village, Buckingham Palace and of course, Harrods department store. At Harrods we hit one of the two sales per year (Pat loves a bargain) and enjoyed lunch and coffee in one of the many restaurants.
Angela arrived home from Hong Kong on Friday - laden down with her great shopping. That evening we enjoyed a Thai dinner cooked at home by Angela's resident cook - Pat. We all had a great laugh the other day - Angela was feeling quite well heeled - she had a cook in the kitchen, a secretary on the computer and the housekeeper was cleaning her apartment!
We decided to have an easy day for our last day in London so Pat, Angela and myself headed out for a leisurely walk along the Grand Canal in Little Venice up to Primrose Hill where we had lunch in the Pembroke Pub. We then walked up to the top of Primrose Hill for a beautiful view across London and on the way home called into the Windsor Castle Pub to say goodbye to Sheila and the crew.
On Sunday 22nd we headed out of London to the beautiful seaside village of Deal on the eastern side of Kent. Sam & Regi have bought the Sondes Lodge B&B just up the road from the ocean, so we checked in for the night. We were greeted by a little black bundle called Rufus at the front door - a four month old poodle cross - he's a little corker! Pat and Sam also worked together at Burton Coal Mine so it was great to catch up. We went out for a walk along the waterfront and visited the King's Head Pub for refreshments. The sun was shining, the ocean was blue and the flowers in all the hanging baskets on the front of the buildings were out in bloom - a truly beautiful day. It was Regi's birthday so we headed out to Dunkley's Restaurant for a magnificent dinner.
Today we will travel to Dover and then take the ferry across the English Channel to Calais in France. So we will say goodbye to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England and look forward to our travels in Europe.
We visited the Thames River, the London Eye, Docklands and walked across the Millennium Bridge. The ship The Cutty Sark was recently set alight but is currently being rebuilt. We travelled on the Docklands Railway to the Royal Observatory - home of Greenwich Mean Time, and visited the National Maritime Museum which was very interesting - of course anything to do with the sea and Pat is hooked.
We visited the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and then headed out of London by train to Hastings on the coast. This is the famous site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. We then stepped back in time and travelled north to the ancient city of Rye, where buildings look as they did centuries ago. The streets are narrow and winding and make for an interesting walking tour of the town. That evening back in London, we visited Chinatown and of course had a Chinese buffet for dinner.
England has been very wet whilst we have been here, however it has not hindered us from touring and site seeing - fortunately we have missed the areas of major flooding. We bought raincoats in Ireland and have certainly put them to good use.
London is not complete without a visit to Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Windsor Castle, Windsor Village, Buckingham Palace and of course, Harrods department store. At Harrods we hit one of the two sales per year (Pat loves a bargain) and enjoyed lunch and coffee in one of the many restaurants.
Angela arrived home from Hong Kong on Friday - laden down with her great shopping. That evening we enjoyed a Thai dinner cooked at home by Angela's resident cook - Pat. We all had a great laugh the other day - Angela was feeling quite well heeled - she had a cook in the kitchen, a secretary on the computer and the housekeeper was cleaning her apartment!
We decided to have an easy day for our last day in London so Pat, Angela and myself headed out for a leisurely walk along the Grand Canal in Little Venice up to Primrose Hill where we had lunch in the Pembroke Pub. We then walked up to the top of Primrose Hill for a beautiful view across London and on the way home called into the Windsor Castle Pub to say goodbye to Sheila and the crew.
On Sunday 22nd we headed out of London to the beautiful seaside village of Deal on the eastern side of Kent. Sam & Regi have bought the Sondes Lodge B&B just up the road from the ocean, so we checked in for the night. We were greeted by a little black bundle called Rufus at the front door - a four month old poodle cross - he's a little corker! Pat and Sam also worked together at Burton Coal Mine so it was great to catch up. We went out for a walk along the waterfront and visited the King's Head Pub for refreshments. The sun was shining, the ocean was blue and the flowers in all the hanging baskets on the front of the buildings were out in bloom - a truly beautiful day. It was Regi's birthday so we headed out to Dunkley's Restaurant for a magnificent dinner.
Today we will travel to Dover and then take the ferry across the English Channel to Calais in France. So we will say goodbye to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England and look forward to our travels in Europe.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Belfast, Nth Ireland to London England 15th July 2007
We had a great crossing from Belfast to Stranrear in Scotland, in the world's largest and fastest ferry. At Stranrear we kick-started our BritRail Flexi Pass which has given us 8 days of train travel in the four week period we nominate - train passes are excellent value and well worth the money spent on the tickets. It gives total flexibility with rail travel and is an excellent mode of transport for many reasons - for example - all railway stations are in the centre of the city whereas airports are often miles away; trains run regularly and waiting time between trains is minimal.
We headed out of Stranraer and travelled through the beautiful Scottish countryside of Ayr, Dumfries and Carlisle - then into England through Lancaster, Preston and into Liverpool the home of the Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. In the evening we headed out on foot to visit The Cavern where Liverpool's most famous residents, the Beatles, began their career. Liverpool is currently undergoing a face lift in many areas as the city is preparing to be the European Culture Capital in 2008. The old Albert Docks are great to visit - it's here we found the excellent Maritime Museum.
After Liverpool we headed out to Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction on the Wales Coast - then down to Blaenau Fiestiniog in the beautiful mountains of Wales. This northern area of Wales is famous for mountain walks and hiking. At Blaenau Fiestiniog we stepped back in time and crossed the track to board a small but magnificent narrow gauge steam train which then ambled down past a slate mountain to Minffordd, from where we boarded another train and headed down the coast to the town of Pwllheli.
We travelled to Pwllheli in Wales to see if we could find my Great Granny's (Sarah Jane O'Boyle) grave site as she was Mum's very favourite Grandmother who died in Wales when Mum was 16 years of age.
Slate is the main industry of this mountain area and all along this coast of Wales. Apparently earlier on a lot of Irishmen came to this area in Wales for the construction of the railways and to work in the slate industry. There was also an Air Force base in the Pwllheli area during the 2nd World War - Mum tells me that Great Granny's daughter Lily and her husband Kenny lived in this area during the war as Kenny was in the Air Force - hence the reason for Great Granny to be away from Ireland and living in Wales.
We stayed in the Victoria Hotel B&B down on the coast and had dinner - chatted with the staff and put together some information for the following day. The Welsh are all very friendly and helpful. The Shire Council office was only a 3 minute walk from the Hotel so we set out in the morning at 9 o'clock to see if we could check the cemetery records. By the way, everybody here in this part of Wales speaks Welsh - most seem to also speak English. They all know about Paul Hogan, Steve Irwin, Neighbours, Home & Away and Vegemite!!!
We were helped at the Council by a lovely lady who ushered us into a room and brought out all the cemetery record books. We opened up the books for 1946 and there on the second page was the entry for my Great Granny. The lady then made some phone calls and arranged for a Superintendent to meet us at the cemetery to show us her grave as it was unmarked.
We took a taxi to the address where my Great Granny lived while she was in Wales - the current building seems to have been rebuilt since the time she lived there. There was a lovely old set of gates almost overgrown with trees and an area behind full of undergrowth. This area may have been the spot where their cottage stood - somewhere in amongst the greenery which backs onto the river. The taxi driver was unsure if there was a cottage in there but said it is possible. Sometime I'd like to go back and investigate it further - perhaps take Mum.
When we arrived at the cemetery the Council Superintendent was waiting for us beside Great Granny's grave. We took some photos for Mum - the grave is unmarked and is covered in short green grass. It was wonderful to find the grave especially for Mum's sake - she doesn't believe anyone has been there since she was buried in 1946. We took the names of stonemasons in the area so later on we can organise to put a headstone on her grave.
We said goodbye to Pwllheli and boarded a train for Birmingham via the coast of Wales. We stayed with Phill, Anne and Laura and had a great time. On our first night we went out to an Indian Restaurant for dinner and had a most magnificent meal - yummo! Phill took us on a great tour around Birmingham where we visited St Martin's Church of England Cathedral, the Bull Ring, the magnificent old Markets, the Jewellery Quarter and then topped it off by having lunch at an Aussie Pub - The Walkabout.
After spending a couple of great days in Birmingham we headed back up north to Scotland and met up with Victor and Heather. Pat and Victor used to work together at Burton Coal Mine. We went to a Scottish Pub for lunch and had Scotch Broth, Haggis and Scottish Beer the Bagpipes were being played outside and kilts were seen in every direction. Edinburgh is a magnificent old city - this is a place where I felt I really stepped back in time - the buildings are excellent. The newly constructed Scottish Parliament building is also very different - very controversial, very expensive and considered quite ugly by many people - it certainly is a 'talking piece'.
We decided to take a bus tour to get a good overall view of this great city and in the evening we went on a Ghost and Ghouls Tour of the underground vaults - not a good tour for the faint hearted or the claustrophobic! It certainly makes us appreciate our living conditions today when we see how the people of yesteryear had to live. In those early times, all food and human waste was collected in buckets during the day and at 10pm each evening all buckets were emptied by being thrown out the windows into the street below - the contents of these buckets would then be washed down the hills - it was not a good time to be out walking in the streets of Edinburgh!!!
We headed north out of Edinburgh to Inverness where we decided to hire a car to be able to get in closer to the north and west coast. We headed up to John O'Groats the most northerly point on mainland Scotland - then on to the Castle of Mey which was the summer home of the Queen Mother for many years. We visited Bettyhill, Durness and on down to Ullapool where we stayed in a lovely Inn overlooking the loch. This day was just beautiful and was our first day of sunshine since we arrived in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
After leaving Ullapool we travelled south to the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. We stopped off at beautiful Loch Ewe which was a safe haven for ships during the war. There was a little story from the soldiers who were based here at that time: After 6 months here we talk to ourselves - after 12 months here we talk to the sheep - then after 18 months here the sheep talk back!
We made a ferry crossing from Armadale on the Isle of Skye to Mallaig - a quaint little village nestled in amongst the many bays. We then headed onto Plockton, Glenfinnan and Fort William where Ben Nevis towers over the city. We drove up along Loch Ness and arrived in the beautiful village of Drumnadrochit. We kept out eyes open for the Loch Ness Monster but unfortunately he must have been resting because we did not see any sign of him! What we have seen in Scotland though are sea gulls almost the size of pelicans! Scotland has such beautiful countryside with so much to see - so we made sure we left some to see on another trip.
We headed out of Inverness once again and travelled through Aberdeen and Edinburgh on down to the famous city of York in England. York is a magnificent old walled city with so much to see and so much history. We stayed in the old Gillygate Inn and enjoyed the drinks, food and great hospitality. It was the Vikings who gave York its name, but it was Norman rule which lasted longer, then followed by the Tudor age. The magnificent York Minster took 250 years to build and was finally completed in 1485. York houses Britain's National Railway Museum which is the largest railway museum in the world. The medieval buildings in the old city of York are superb.
On our next train trip we travelled from York through Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter St David, Plymouth and down to the end of Cornwall to Penzance and Lands End. The train trip from St Erth to St Ives is just spectacular - wide white sandy beaches and beautiful aqua waters - we thought for a minute we were back in the Whitsundays! We left St Ives and headed to London through Westbury and Reading. The sun is trying to come out - it peeks through the clouds every now and then! This is the coldest and wettest July in Britain - everyone is wondering where the summer is hanging out!
We arrived at Angela's apartment in Maida Vale in London and have settled in for the next week. We went out for a walk and visited the canals of Little Venice, Lord's Cricket Ground, the Prince Alfred Pub, the Windsor Castle Pub and met up with Angela's friends for a great afternoon. This is a beautiful part of London with lovely gardens and lawns in behind the apartments - this area is like a little village and we're right in the centre of London! Michael Flatley of Riverdance fame lives around the corner, as does Princess Diana's brother - and yesterday we met the late John Inman's partner (Are you being served). Angela has retired from British Airways and left today for 5 days in Hong Kong so we are the house sitters here in the centre of London while she is away - but believe me - it is our absolute pleasure! Today has been the warmest day we have had since arriving in this part of the world - a lovely day to celebrate my birthday!
We headed out of Stranraer and travelled through the beautiful Scottish countryside of Ayr, Dumfries and Carlisle - then into England through Lancaster, Preston and into Liverpool the home of the Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. In the evening we headed out on foot to visit The Cavern where Liverpool's most famous residents, the Beatles, began their career. Liverpool is currently undergoing a face lift in many areas as the city is preparing to be the European Culture Capital in 2008. The old Albert Docks are great to visit - it's here we found the excellent Maritime Museum.
After Liverpool we headed out to Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction on the Wales Coast - then down to Blaenau Fiestiniog in the beautiful mountains of Wales. This northern area of Wales is famous for mountain walks and hiking. At Blaenau Fiestiniog we stepped back in time and crossed the track to board a small but magnificent narrow gauge steam train which then ambled down past a slate mountain to Minffordd, from where we boarded another train and headed down the coast to the town of Pwllheli.
We travelled to Pwllheli in Wales to see if we could find my Great Granny's (Sarah Jane O'Boyle) grave site as she was Mum's very favourite Grandmother who died in Wales when Mum was 16 years of age.
Slate is the main industry of this mountain area and all along this coast of Wales. Apparently earlier on a lot of Irishmen came to this area in Wales for the construction of the railways and to work in the slate industry. There was also an Air Force base in the Pwllheli area during the 2nd World War - Mum tells me that Great Granny's daughter Lily and her husband Kenny lived in this area during the war as Kenny was in the Air Force - hence the reason for Great Granny to be away from Ireland and living in Wales.
We stayed in the Victoria Hotel B&B down on the coast and had dinner - chatted with the staff and put together some information for the following day. The Welsh are all very friendly and helpful. The Shire Council office was only a 3 minute walk from the Hotel so we set out in the morning at 9 o'clock to see if we could check the cemetery records. By the way, everybody here in this part of Wales speaks Welsh - most seem to also speak English. They all know about Paul Hogan, Steve Irwin, Neighbours, Home & Away and Vegemite!!!
We were helped at the Council by a lovely lady who ushered us into a room and brought out all the cemetery record books. We opened up the books for 1946 and there on the second page was the entry for my Great Granny. The lady then made some phone calls and arranged for a Superintendent to meet us at the cemetery to show us her grave as it was unmarked.
We took a taxi to the address where my Great Granny lived while she was in Wales - the current building seems to have been rebuilt since the time she lived there. There was a lovely old set of gates almost overgrown with trees and an area behind full of undergrowth. This area may have been the spot where their cottage stood - somewhere in amongst the greenery which backs onto the river. The taxi driver was unsure if there was a cottage in there but said it is possible. Sometime I'd like to go back and investigate it further - perhaps take Mum.
When we arrived at the cemetery the Council Superintendent was waiting for us beside Great Granny's grave. We took some photos for Mum - the grave is unmarked and is covered in short green grass. It was wonderful to find the grave especially for Mum's sake - she doesn't believe anyone has been there since she was buried in 1946. We took the names of stonemasons in the area so later on we can organise to put a headstone on her grave.
We said goodbye to Pwllheli and boarded a train for Birmingham via the coast of Wales. We stayed with Phill, Anne and Laura and had a great time. On our first night we went out to an Indian Restaurant for dinner and had a most magnificent meal - yummo! Phill took us on a great tour around Birmingham where we visited St Martin's Church of England Cathedral, the Bull Ring, the magnificent old Markets, the Jewellery Quarter and then topped it off by having lunch at an Aussie Pub - The Walkabout.
After spending a couple of great days in Birmingham we headed back up north to Scotland and met up with Victor and Heather. Pat and Victor used to work together at Burton Coal Mine. We went to a Scottish Pub for lunch and had Scotch Broth, Haggis and Scottish Beer the Bagpipes were being played outside and kilts were seen in every direction. Edinburgh is a magnificent old city - this is a place where I felt I really stepped back in time - the buildings are excellent. The newly constructed Scottish Parliament building is also very different - very controversial, very expensive and considered quite ugly by many people - it certainly is a 'talking piece'.
We decided to take a bus tour to get a good overall view of this great city and in the evening we went on a Ghost and Ghouls Tour of the underground vaults - not a good tour for the faint hearted or the claustrophobic! It certainly makes us appreciate our living conditions today when we see how the people of yesteryear had to live. In those early times, all food and human waste was collected in buckets during the day and at 10pm each evening all buckets were emptied by being thrown out the windows into the street below - the contents of these buckets would then be washed down the hills - it was not a good time to be out walking in the streets of Edinburgh!!!
We headed north out of Edinburgh to Inverness where we decided to hire a car to be able to get in closer to the north and west coast. We headed up to John O'Groats the most northerly point on mainland Scotland - then on to the Castle of Mey which was the summer home of the Queen Mother for many years. We visited Bettyhill, Durness and on down to Ullapool where we stayed in a lovely Inn overlooking the loch. This day was just beautiful and was our first day of sunshine since we arrived in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
After leaving Ullapool we travelled south to the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. We stopped off at beautiful Loch Ewe which was a safe haven for ships during the war. There was a little story from the soldiers who were based here at that time: After 6 months here we talk to ourselves - after 12 months here we talk to the sheep - then after 18 months here the sheep talk back!
We made a ferry crossing from Armadale on the Isle of Skye to Mallaig - a quaint little village nestled in amongst the many bays. We then headed onto Plockton, Glenfinnan and Fort William where Ben Nevis towers over the city. We drove up along Loch Ness and arrived in the beautiful village of Drumnadrochit. We kept out eyes open for the Loch Ness Monster but unfortunately he must have been resting because we did not see any sign of him! What we have seen in Scotland though are sea gulls almost the size of pelicans! Scotland has such beautiful countryside with so much to see - so we made sure we left some to see on another trip.
We headed out of Inverness once again and travelled through Aberdeen and Edinburgh on down to the famous city of York in England. York is a magnificent old walled city with so much to see and so much history. We stayed in the old Gillygate Inn and enjoyed the drinks, food and great hospitality. It was the Vikings who gave York its name, but it was Norman rule which lasted longer, then followed by the Tudor age. The magnificent York Minster took 250 years to build and was finally completed in 1485. York houses Britain's National Railway Museum which is the largest railway museum in the world. The medieval buildings in the old city of York are superb.
On our next train trip we travelled from York through Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter St David, Plymouth and down to the end of Cornwall to Penzance and Lands End. The train trip from St Erth to St Ives is just spectacular - wide white sandy beaches and beautiful aqua waters - we thought for a minute we were back in the Whitsundays! We left St Ives and headed to London through Westbury and Reading. The sun is trying to come out - it peeks through the clouds every now and then! This is the coldest and wettest July in Britain - everyone is wondering where the summer is hanging out!
We arrived at Angela's apartment in Maida Vale in London and have settled in for the next week. We went out for a walk and visited the canals of Little Venice, Lord's Cricket Ground, the Prince Alfred Pub, the Windsor Castle Pub and met up with Angela's friends for a great afternoon. This is a beautiful part of London with lovely gardens and lawns in behind the apartments - this area is like a little village and we're right in the centre of London! Michael Flatley of Riverdance fame lives around the corner, as does Princess Diana's brother - and yesterday we met the late John Inman's partner (Are you being served). Angela has retired from British Airways and left today for 5 days in Hong Kong so we are the house sitters here in the centre of London while she is away - but believe me - it is our absolute pleasure! Today has been the warmest day we have had since arriving in this part of the world - a lovely day to celebrate my birthday!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Seoul, Sth Korea to Ireland - The land of leprechauns and shamrocks
While we were in Korea I checked out the Ryanair website as we had heard so much about the cheap airfares. We were quite surprised - we booked fares from Frankfurt to Dublin for 1 cent per ticket! Including all taxes, baggage and fare the total cost of each fare was $38 Australian - what a bargain! Quite unbelievable really.
We left Frankfurt-Hahn airport and flew direct to Dublin - with all our delays in airports etc we arrived at the Dublin train station with 5 minutes to spare to catch our train. We checked onto the train and headed for Carrick-on-Shannon to begin our trip north on Mick & Diana's barge Papillon. It was great to see a familiar face at the train station - Mick took us through Boyle to Knockvicar where Diana was waiting to welcome us on board. Mick took the barge out for a quick trip where we saw ruins on Castle Island. We had dinner and a good night's sleep ready to head out next day.
It is possible to see the Irish countryside from this different perspective as there are over 1,500 klm of navigational waterways in Ireland. The evenings are very different to what we are used to - it is still light at 10:30pm and getting darker at 11:oopm. The only problem with this is that we now tend to have very late nights and get up later in the morning.
The riveted steel barge Papillon (French for butterfly) is over 100 years old and came from Holland. Mick did a lot of modifications to the barge and has turned it into a very comfortable floating home complete with 2 bedrooms, bathroom, toilet, kitchen, dining and living areas. The wheelhouse is fully enclosed with clear roll down blinds - which we certainly put to good use for our trip. Pat and I both took over the wheel for a short trip on a lough - a good experience.
We left Carrick-on-Shannon and headed out to Leitrum Village for lunch. Thus began our adventures along the Shannon, Boyle and Woodford Rivers where in total we spent 8 days on the waterways and went through 16 locks. As Mick would say "Invaluable experience for boating in the Pacific!" On our trip we learnt to play Gin Rummy, we were however no threat to Mick & Diana. The week prior to our arrival was a particularly warm spell but as soon as we arrived the weather took a turn for the worst and we had to buy warm jackets and raincoats! We have had rain every day we have been in Ireland for the past three weeks. It has not bothered us - as I say if we wanted great weather we'd stay at home. Ireland's countryside is absolutly glorious so needless to say the rain is part and parcel of it all.
Our overnight stays were at Lisconnor, Keshkerrigan, Ballinamore, Swan Island, Ballyconnell, Crom Castle and Enniskillen. Each place was different and held yet another experience. My favourite was our mooring at Crom Castle where we walked around the countryside and explored old Crom Castle. We walked along the little roadways and through the green fields and trees. We looked across at new Crom Castle which is privately owned and currently tenanted.
Pat was able to carry out a few maintenance jobs while we were on the barge - Diana was over the moon at having hot water to the galley sink!
We took a break at Carrybridge and went ashore for Guinness and a cup of coffee. A little verse on the wall of the pub took my eye:
With graceful pride the waters glide and never seem to hurry,
Tis well tis so, flow waters flow, beneath the bridge of Carry.
We met many of Mick & Diana's friends along the way - sometimes they'd catch up with us at the next mooring. At the end of the trip Mick said "We took 8 days to get from Carrick to Enniskillen but could have done it in an hour and a half by car!!!" Pat made himself a bit of a goal along the way - to have a Guinness in every port! It is quite strange cruising along the waterway and looking across the fields to see cars whizzing by. We travelled along in the barge at about 4 to 5 knots and had lots of time to take in the beautiful scenery and green fields along the way. It is lovely to see the sheep and cattle grazing at the water's edge. White swans and their babies abound in these waterways.
Our trip on the barge was a great experience - we'll never forget Diana's fabulous meals - the Port and chocolate every night - and the beautiful rolling green hills which seem to go on forever. We said goodbye to Mick and Diana and boarded a bus to Belfast to see my rellies.
My cousin Kevin met us at the bus station and took us home to his place where we moved into the same room we had on our last visit 10 years ago. It was good to see Eileen again and the children, Conor, Lauren and Kirsty - the only difference is they are all now 10 years older. Sadly my Uncle Patrick passed away last September but his memory is everywhere.
We headed up to Roddy McGorley's Club for a little while to say hello to Uncle Pat's friend John Dorris and my cousin Maggie - well that was the end of that! We left about 6 hours and 6 pints of Guinness later - we arrived home and Pat went straight to bed. The next day Kevin took us on a tour of Milltown cemetery where we searched out all the family graves including my Grandfathers and Great Grandfather. In the afternoon Eileen took us to Hannastown Cemetery to visit Uncle Patrick's grave and my Granny's.
In the afternoon we headed up to see the latest addition to the family Grace Crawford and saw Brian & Trisha, Ryan, Pearse and Grace. We checked out Majorca Street off the Grosvenor Road where my Mum grew up and where my parents lived when I was born - it is an old area beside the Royal Victoria Hospital and it is now a parking lot. This parking lot carries a lot of memories and could tell many stories! We headed up the Falls Road and visited Rockmount Street where my Dad & his brother and sisters grew up - his house seems unchanged and looks as it does in our photos taken 55 years ago.
During our visit we toured the docks of Belfast and visited the construction site of "The Titanic" and went on board the tender for the Titanic - the Nomadic. Each night we visited Roddys club and over the next few days caught up with all my cousins and their families, as well as some of my Mum's cousins. We attended a surprise 50th birthday at Roddy's for a family friend and had a great night. Ireland has the no smoking laws well in place which makes pubs a lot more pleasant to visit.
We hired a car for 3 days and headed out of Belfast to tour around the north coast and the Antrim coast. We headed down to Armagh, Monaghan and then north to Omagh, Strabane, Claudy, Limavady, Downhill and then into Coleraine. We visited Mum's cousin Vincent and his wife Mary - their daughter Ayelish was married the following day. Another daughter, Catroina is hoping to visit Australia later this year before she settles into university to study medicine.
We visited Portstewart and Portrush and Bushmills distillery where we did a bit of shopping. We stayed at a beautiful old pub The Smugglers Inn near the Giant's Causeway. We travelled down the Antrim Coast through Ballintoy and hugged the coast to Ballycastle, Cushendun, Cushendall and onto Waterfoot. We travelled through Glenariffe Forest Park and spent the night in Brian & Trisha's caravan at Waterfoot - Maggie and Eileen came up from Belfast to spend the evening with us as well.
County Antrim forms the north-east corner of Ireland where a channel only 13 miles wide separates Torr Head from the Scottish coast. Lough Neach (the largest lake in the British Isles) and the fertile valley of the Bann occupy the western part of Antrim. To the east, a magnificent coast road runs north from Larne and curves around the base of steep headlands, through which the beautiful glens of Antrim open to the sea. On the northern coast the Giant's Causeway, a striking hexagonal basalt rock formation, is truly awe inspiring.
Maggie took us out on Saturday to Casement Park to see our first Hurling match - Antrim vs Clare - Clare won on the day but Antrim put in a great effort on their home ground. It is a very fast game and very enjoyable to watch - hurling sticks seem to be flying in every direction - however protective head gear is optional.
Grace Crawford was christened at St Joseph's at Hannastown after Mass on Sunday - followed by a party at the Glenowen Pub. Gerard sang "Grace" - a song Uncle Patrick would often sing. I guess needless to say, we had a great day once again and met yet more generations of cousins. The Guinness was flowing freely - there is never a minute to go thirsty over here! Tonight anyone who is available is heading out for dinner - tomorrow we get the early morning ferry to Scotland. We've had a brilliant time in Ireland once again - so until next time we're here we'll say Slan abhile.
We left Frankfurt-Hahn airport and flew direct to Dublin - with all our delays in airports etc we arrived at the Dublin train station with 5 minutes to spare to catch our train. We checked onto the train and headed for Carrick-on-Shannon to begin our trip north on Mick & Diana's barge Papillon. It was great to see a familiar face at the train station - Mick took us through Boyle to Knockvicar where Diana was waiting to welcome us on board. Mick took the barge out for a quick trip where we saw ruins on Castle Island. We had dinner and a good night's sleep ready to head out next day.
It is possible to see the Irish countryside from this different perspective as there are over 1,500 klm of navigational waterways in Ireland. The evenings are very different to what we are used to - it is still light at 10:30pm and getting darker at 11:oopm. The only problem with this is that we now tend to have very late nights and get up later in the morning.
The riveted steel barge Papillon (French for butterfly) is over 100 years old and came from Holland. Mick did a lot of modifications to the barge and has turned it into a very comfortable floating home complete with 2 bedrooms, bathroom, toilet, kitchen, dining and living areas. The wheelhouse is fully enclosed with clear roll down blinds - which we certainly put to good use for our trip. Pat and I both took over the wheel for a short trip on a lough - a good experience.
We left Carrick-on-Shannon and headed out to Leitrum Village for lunch. Thus began our adventures along the Shannon, Boyle and Woodford Rivers where in total we spent 8 days on the waterways and went through 16 locks. As Mick would say "Invaluable experience for boating in the Pacific!" On our trip we learnt to play Gin Rummy, we were however no threat to Mick & Diana. The week prior to our arrival was a particularly warm spell but as soon as we arrived the weather took a turn for the worst and we had to buy warm jackets and raincoats! We have had rain every day we have been in Ireland for the past three weeks. It has not bothered us - as I say if we wanted great weather we'd stay at home. Ireland's countryside is absolutly glorious so needless to say the rain is part and parcel of it all.
Our overnight stays were at Lisconnor, Keshkerrigan, Ballinamore, Swan Island, Ballyconnell, Crom Castle and Enniskillen. Each place was different and held yet another experience. My favourite was our mooring at Crom Castle where we walked around the countryside and explored old Crom Castle. We walked along the little roadways and through the green fields and trees. We looked across at new Crom Castle which is privately owned and currently tenanted.
Pat was able to carry out a few maintenance jobs while we were on the barge - Diana was over the moon at having hot water to the galley sink!
We took a break at Carrybridge and went ashore for Guinness and a cup of coffee. A little verse on the wall of the pub took my eye:
With graceful pride the waters glide and never seem to hurry,
Tis well tis so, flow waters flow, beneath the bridge of Carry.
We met many of Mick & Diana's friends along the way - sometimes they'd catch up with us at the next mooring. At the end of the trip Mick said "We took 8 days to get from Carrick to Enniskillen but could have done it in an hour and a half by car!!!" Pat made himself a bit of a goal along the way - to have a Guinness in every port! It is quite strange cruising along the waterway and looking across the fields to see cars whizzing by. We travelled along in the barge at about 4 to 5 knots and had lots of time to take in the beautiful scenery and green fields along the way. It is lovely to see the sheep and cattle grazing at the water's edge. White swans and their babies abound in these waterways.
Our trip on the barge was a great experience - we'll never forget Diana's fabulous meals - the Port and chocolate every night - and the beautiful rolling green hills which seem to go on forever. We said goodbye to Mick and Diana and boarded a bus to Belfast to see my rellies.
My cousin Kevin met us at the bus station and took us home to his place where we moved into the same room we had on our last visit 10 years ago. It was good to see Eileen again and the children, Conor, Lauren and Kirsty - the only difference is they are all now 10 years older. Sadly my Uncle Patrick passed away last September but his memory is everywhere.
We headed up to Roddy McGorley's Club for a little while to say hello to Uncle Pat's friend John Dorris and my cousin Maggie - well that was the end of that! We left about 6 hours and 6 pints of Guinness later - we arrived home and Pat went straight to bed. The next day Kevin took us on a tour of Milltown cemetery where we searched out all the family graves including my Grandfathers and Great Grandfather. In the afternoon Eileen took us to Hannastown Cemetery to visit Uncle Patrick's grave and my Granny's.
In the afternoon we headed up to see the latest addition to the family Grace Crawford and saw Brian & Trisha, Ryan, Pearse and Grace. We checked out Majorca Street off the Grosvenor Road where my Mum grew up and where my parents lived when I was born - it is an old area beside the Royal Victoria Hospital and it is now a parking lot. This parking lot carries a lot of memories and could tell many stories! We headed up the Falls Road and visited Rockmount Street where my Dad & his brother and sisters grew up - his house seems unchanged and looks as it does in our photos taken 55 years ago.
During our visit we toured the docks of Belfast and visited the construction site of "The Titanic" and went on board the tender for the Titanic - the Nomadic. Each night we visited Roddys club and over the next few days caught up with all my cousins and their families, as well as some of my Mum's cousins. We attended a surprise 50th birthday at Roddy's for a family friend and had a great night. Ireland has the no smoking laws well in place which makes pubs a lot more pleasant to visit.
We hired a car for 3 days and headed out of Belfast to tour around the north coast and the Antrim coast. We headed down to Armagh, Monaghan and then north to Omagh, Strabane, Claudy, Limavady, Downhill and then into Coleraine. We visited Mum's cousin Vincent and his wife Mary - their daughter Ayelish was married the following day. Another daughter, Catroina is hoping to visit Australia later this year before she settles into university to study medicine.
We visited Portstewart and Portrush and Bushmills distillery where we did a bit of shopping. We stayed at a beautiful old pub The Smugglers Inn near the Giant's Causeway. We travelled down the Antrim Coast through Ballintoy and hugged the coast to Ballycastle, Cushendun, Cushendall and onto Waterfoot. We travelled through Glenariffe Forest Park and spent the night in Brian & Trisha's caravan at Waterfoot - Maggie and Eileen came up from Belfast to spend the evening with us as well.
County Antrim forms the north-east corner of Ireland where a channel only 13 miles wide separates Torr Head from the Scottish coast. Lough Neach (the largest lake in the British Isles) and the fertile valley of the Bann occupy the western part of Antrim. To the east, a magnificent coast road runs north from Larne and curves around the base of steep headlands, through which the beautiful glens of Antrim open to the sea. On the northern coast the Giant's Causeway, a striking hexagonal basalt rock formation, is truly awe inspiring.
Maggie took us out on Saturday to Casement Park to see our first Hurling match - Antrim vs Clare - Clare won on the day but Antrim put in a great effort on their home ground. It is a very fast game and very enjoyable to watch - hurling sticks seem to be flying in every direction - however protective head gear is optional.
Grace Crawford was christened at St Joseph's at Hannastown after Mass on Sunday - followed by a party at the Glenowen Pub. Gerard sang "Grace" - a song Uncle Patrick would often sing. I guess needless to say, we had a great day once again and met yet more generations of cousins. The Guinness was flowing freely - there is never a minute to go thirsty over here! Tonight anyone who is available is heading out for dinner - tomorrow we get the early morning ferry to Scotland. We've had a brilliant time in Ireland once again - so until next time we're here we'll say Slan abhile.
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