Au reviour Paris, hello home

I'm sitting in the emirates lounge in Dubai waiting for the last part of my flight home enjoying a glass of Moët. Contemplating the horror of a 14 hour flight!! The last four days of my holiday in Paris were lovely. I wandered the streets, went to a couple of museums, sat in a brasserie drinking coffee/wine/beer and watched the world go by and went o Giverny to visit Monet's garden. My last day was spent lunching, shopping and enjoying some wine with good friends Matt, Lewis and Terry. What a nice way to finish my trip.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

I have spent a lovely three days in Brittany with Tara and her small daughter Charlie. The coastline line here is spectacular and the weather was really lovely. Sunshine every day, but the wind off the ocean is still very cold. In France they call Brittany the end of the world as its the last land before you hit the US. They also have a very different culture, having a Celtic heritage they are more akin to Wales and Ireland than they are to France and there is a big movement here to bring back the Breton language and the Breton culture. I managed to get to a Fest Noz (at an Irish Pub in Brest) and watch some traditional Breton dancing and listen to some music, great fun, everyone young and old joins in the dancing. I also managed to watch the entire (only) season of Firefly and will be looking for the DVD of the movie, Serenity, that supposedly ties up the loose ends as soon as I get home.

As dad would say "ABC"

Well, it's a week since my last post and in that time I've done a loop around Germany. When Mum and Dad went to Europe many years ago Dad came back with the Saying ABC, Another Bloody Church/Cathedral/Castle, and this is certainly true, the church/cathedral and the castle/palace are at the heart of every European city. I was in Munich for the night of the football championship and its was crazy in town. People everywhere in red and white and everyone drinks in the streets. Kids here are allowed to drink and and beer when they turn 16 (harder liquor when they are 18) and there are no restrictions to drinking in the street. I liked Munich a lot and would like to go back for another visit. After Munich we headed south to Bavaria where the scenery is spectacular, it's almost like someone has painted a backdrop of snow capped mountains and hung it from the sky. We went to the medieval city of Rothenberg where the biggest Christmas shop I ever seen lives. Then onto Oberammergau (another Christmas shop and the place where the town has been producing the Passion Play since 1634) and a visit to the spectacular Neuschwanstein palace, but for my money Lindhof palace was more spectacular overall. A night spent in the Black Forest where I had one of the best views from my bedroom window then back to Frankfurt where The tour finished. I then headed off to Stuttgart where I caught up with Christoph and his family (Christoph was an exchange student who lived with my sister last year) and had a lovely time with Christoph showing me some of the highlights, including the Mercedes museum. What have I loved about Germany? The people are great, the countryside is spectacular (particularly in Bavaria and the Black Forest) and I'm really glad I have been here. I am now in Lyon waiting on a flight to Brest where I will spend the next couple of days with Tara, (I'll have to get used to a different language) and then to Paris for my last few days.

The Princess and the Pea

Those who know me well know that sleep and I have a tenuous relationship. Usually when I go away I take my own pillow with me but on longer trips (and when you are trying to keep your luggage to a minimum) that's not always possible. The hotel beds and pillows have been varied on this trip. There is a tendency here for hotels to use feather pillows, not ths big plump ones, but poor excuses for pillows that when you put your head on one it goes as flat as a pancake. Now you can usually compensate for that by using about three of them together, but when you couple that with a bed that is like sleeping on a plank of wood you have a problem. The NH chain of hotels where I have spent the last three nights is one such place, so my advise is to avoid them like the plague!! We are nw heading for Munich after spending a couple of nights in Berlin and then one in Nuremberg. Along the way we stopped at Leipzig, best known for Bach. Berlin was amazing and another city to which I'd like to return and explore further. We did the highlights, Checkoint Charlie, pieces of the wall etc, as well as a trip to Potsdam. All very recent history.

There's a castle around every corner

Heathrow airport was busy but relatively easy to get through all the security etc. unfortunately, because Qantas and British Airways aren't good friends anymore, you can only use the BA lounge at terminal 3 and I was in terminal 5. So I was forced to hang out with the masses, with no wifi. But a very nice customer service person gave me the BA lounge login and I casually stood outside the door of the lounge facebooking and emailing. I had a fabulous weekend in Stockholm seeing my Swedish "family", its been 10 years but it felt like just yesterday. Susanne (my Swedish daughter) and I hung around Gamla Stan (Old Town) and went on a tour of the castle (something which Susanne, who has lived in Stockholm all her life, had never done) and wandered around the shops. We had a great evening watching Eurovision and I'm starting a campaign to get Australia in, maybe as a non competing country. I also, under sufferance went to the ABBA museum, but only took photos, its $30 entry fee. BTW, there is a big Eurovision controversy at the moment with Russia claiming points were stolen from them and they are sending the ambassador to check it out! The trip to Frankfurt took a couple of hours but then I had to wait for another hour from the time we landed till the luggage arrived (so much for German efficiency). The first day in Germany was very quiet as it was a public holiday and there was nothing open. On Tuesday morning we set off on the 10 day tour of Germany. Our first stop was a cruise down the Rhine, now I know what everyone talks about when they say how beautiful it is. There is a literally a castle around every bend of the river. We then headed to Cologne and checked out the city and the Cathedral that dominates the city centre before heading to Dusseldorf where we stayed the night and spent some time in the city enjoying a beer and watching the people. Have arrived in Berlin after a four hour trip on the fast train, and a very comfortable journey it was. I've been on a tour around the highlights of Berlin, of which there are many, and now settled into the hotel and looking forward to a day of sight seeing tomorrow. It's a bit hit and miss with Wifi access. It was better in the UK with access at almost every cafe and some public places but then it varies at hotels, with some charging, some giving you a half hour and then you have to log in again and others being totally free. Somebody needs to speak to them about getting their act together, in this day and age you should be able to get it free when you stay in a hotel, I have written many a feedback form telling them just that.

Hej Sverige (Hello Sweden)

I'm now in Stockholm after the whirlwind tour of the UK. Edinburgh was my favourite city and I'd definitely like to go back there and explore a bit more. The weather was freezing so it would be nice to be there if it was a bit warmer. On the way back to London we stayed in York and walked the tiny medieval streets up to York Minster, which is an amazing building to see. We then traveled on to Stratford where we visited Anne Hathaway's house and Shakespeare's childhood home and the museum. It was great to see the plays have been translated into so many languages, including a Klingon version of Hamlet! A couple of hours on the motorway and we were back in London. It was a very quick tour and a bit tiring but still a great way to get a taste of the UK. I had a nice couple of days in London, catching up with friends, hula hooping, visting Dr Johnson's house and the markets, lunching and, seeing Star Trek at IMAX. (Does anyone remember the episode of Blackadder where they accidently burnt Samuel Johnson's only draft of his dictionary and Baldrick and Blackadder were trying to write a new one? Hilarious! Definition of C? Big blue wobbly thing. LOL) It's really really good to see my Swedish "daughter" again after 10 years and to meet her son, Ludwig. I'm looking forward to the weekend with Susanne and her family and, of course, Eurovision, and apparently a visit to the Abba museum is de rigueur!!

Och Aye Edinburgh

Well it's been an eventful few days since my last post. We stayed in Dublin for two nights which was great as it gave me a bit of time to catch my breath. I quite liked Dublin but there was nothing that would induce me to go back there. When we left Dublin we went past Wexford which was the home of some of my ancestors (mum wrote a book about it, 'From Wexford to Van Diemans Land') apparently there's not much in Wexford so didn't miss out on anything by not stopping there. The trip from Dublin to Edinburgh was long and also involved a sea journey. But you'll be pleased to know it was relatively smooth and no where near as scary as the trip across to Ireland. we stopped in Belfast on the way through and this was interesting, the tour guide gave us a potted history of the "Irish troubles" which was the best explanation I've heard and I now have a much better understanding of the conflict. We arrived in Edinburgh late yesterday afternoon and I was immediately taken by the city. The castle dominates from above and the architecture of the old and new towns is really interesting. The only downside is the weather, it's bloody freezing! Edinburgh is one city I will definitely come back to. I'm sitting in a pub now with an ale and waiting for a cheese and pickle sandwich.

It's Friday, it must be Waterford

Well whirlwind describes this tour exactly. We headed off from London on Wednesday and visited Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath. Highlights were the cathedral in Salisbury and, of curse, Bath. An important destination for any Jane Austen fan. We then went back to Cardiff to visit the Castle, I'd deliberately left this I off my itinerary on my visit to Cardiff the previous weekend. After the castle we set off on what was supposed to be about 3 hours of driving and four hours of ferry crossing. Unfortunately the horrible weather meant we were delayed at the ferry for over three hours. When we did eventually cross it was pretty rough, thank goodness for Kwells and ginger biscuits. Subsequently we didn't reach Ireland till 9.30 and I was so tired that I forgot that we were driving right by Wexford, the home of some of my ancestors. The hotel at Waterford kept the kitchen open so we could have dinner at 10.30. We are off shortly to see the Waterford crystal factory then on to Dublin where I'm looking forward to two nights in the same hotel.

Alas poor Yorick

I'm really enjoying London on this visit. I'm in a great position right beside south bank so am able to wander around and look at all the sites. I briefly contemplated going on the London Eye but then suddenly realised there lies madness...the best I could do was eight floors up in the OXO building. Had a great time at the Tate Modern and the Lichtenstein exhibition was excellent. In the evening I went to see The Tempest at the New Globe Theatre, it was brilliant, albeit with uncomfortable seats. For those who don't know the Globe is a replica of the original Shakespeare theatre. It's open air at ground level and people can see the play in standing room for £5, those of us with a bit more cash sit in seats under the balcony with the rest if the upper classes. I bought a very nifty cap at the shop with a skull and some text surrounding it..."Alas poor Yorick". V. cool! Today I set off on my eight day whirlwind tour of the UK. First stop is back to Cardiff.

Hwyl fawr Caerdydd (goodbye Cardiff)

Today I say goodbye to Cardiff (albeit temporarily as I'm coming back here on Wednesday on the tour) and to Laurian and Rhys, and their families, who have all been lovely to me. I had a day or so on my own so wandered around the city, went to the museum and gallery and, of course, the shops. While i did say I wasn't going to do any shopping I did manage to buy a small scarf at Vivienne Westwood (it was the cheapest item in the shop!). I also managed to squeeze in a play at the New Theatre, 'The Woman in Black' which has been running in the West end for 17 years, it was great and a little bit scary. The wedding was fabulous, I'm so pleased I came to represent Laurian's ozzie friends. we started at 2.00 with the formal ceremony with about 80 people in attendance, everyone was dressed in black and white which looked really good. This was followed by drinks then an early dinner along with speeches and the cake cutting. Then at 7.00 the party started and another 60 or so people arrived and danced and drank till about midnight. The Welsh know how to throw a party!! I've loved being here its a gorgeous city and if you are in the UK you should definitely include it in your plans, especially if you are fan of the Doctor. I'm looking forward to London as I haven't been there for over 20 years!

Here's to Cardiff and good friends

The flight over was uneventful, of course I was on the wrong side of the blue curtain so was seated with the general masses but on both legs of the flight I had a spare seat next to me which was a bonus. I didn't stop to look around at Dubai airport as I expected to only be there for a short time (and i have a three hour layover on the way home) but the plane was delayed for an hour, but by then I was ensconced in the Emerits lounge, and once you are in a place that serves free Moët as the house bubbles you tend not to move from there. Getting through passport and customs at Heathrow was very easy. Despite the long queues it went very quickly. Then a quick train ride to Paddington to catch the train to Cardiff. Had an excellent coffee at Ritozza while waiting for the train so was feeling more human after that. The train trip was great, the train conductor making all the announcements sounded just like Phill Ligget, and the countryside was beautiful on a bright spring day. And what could be more appropriate than reading Wodehouse as I travelled along. Cardiff is great and I've had the best time today with Laurian and Rhys, driving around this gorgeous city. But the highlight was the visit to the Dr Who Experience. It was fantastic, just the right blend of daggyness along with the high tech stuff! Back at the hotel now for some rest and tomorrow I'll do some sight seeing on my own. All in all a great start to the holiday

Packing for the trip

Phew. I kept looking at the new MEDIUM suitcase not believing I could possibly pack for 5 weeks in Europe in something that small. But I've managed...and with room left over! Just shows what you can do if you set your mind to it. Only two sleeps to go and I'm not looking forward to the flight. Crammed into that plan with all the other plebs, oh for being independently wealthy and travelling business class.