DENMARK - COPENHAGEN

Saturday morning (after meeting Rebecca’s lovely boyfriend Stephan) we jumped on the train & went to Rebecca’s work to grab her bike - like in Holland, everyone rides bikes here. We went into the office to have a look around as I am always fascinated by other people’s work space (the first photo is of Bec & her boss sitting at her desk). Then we went to get a bike for me. They have what are called free bikes all around the city where you just put money in the slot to unchain the bike & then you get it back whenever you finish with it. Like getting a shopping trolley at the supermarket. You do kind of stand out as a tourist though as the wheels on the bike are filled in & there is a map of they city on the handle bars (see photo 2 of me looking glamorous on the bike). It was great to cycle around everywhere looking at all the touristy stuff, although it was slightly weird as I really felt like I should be wearing a helmet & giving way to everyone.
We went to the Town Hall Square, the main shopping street, the markets & then on a boat tour in a part of town called Nuhavn which was really great. Bec hadn’t done it before so it was nice for her as well. There is some great architecture - old & new - that you can see really well from the boat (the third photo is only one of many I have taken). We also got a look at the Royal Yacht (the last photo) which wasn’t as flash as I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it was really nice but as a Royal Yacht I thought it would be really over the top & flashy.
Naturally we stopped for waffles & icecream & the waffles weren’t anywhere near as nice as the ones in Holland.

HOLLAND TO DENMARK - VALBY

My last morning in morning in Holland was spent washing, packing, posting presents back home (which you all have to wait until I get home next year to receive) & saying goodbye to Ingrid & the girls (& Sam the big slobbery dog). It was then a train ride to the airport & a quick flight over to Denmark where Rebecca was waiting for me waving a Danish flag. It's been about 4 years since I have seen her but she is as stunning as ever! We spent the night talking (as girls are prone to do) & catching up on each others lives.

The photos are Rebecca in front of her apartment building & me at the front door to the building. The window to the right of me is her living room.

FRANCE - PARIS

The next morning we filled up on breakfast in the hope that we would not eat too much during the day (it really can get expensive). We had to take our back packs with us all day which was a pain but at least we didn’t have too much in them. The man at the desk asked where I was from when we checked out - he told us that years ago he had a girlfriend that came from Melbourne. Lucky him!
Again we jumped on the metro (by this stage I was a wiz at working out where to get where we wanted to go) & headed for the Champs Elysees. We wandered along this famous road (I bought some thongs from The Gap as the inside of my shoes were falling apart - even though Mum repaired them for me before I left - & were hugely uncomfortable) & up to the Arc de Triomphe. Took some photos (the first one) & then jumped on the metro to go to the Louvre (photo numero 2) & walked through the gardens to get there (where we had some lunch). We didn't go into the Louvre either - you may be shocked & appalled at that - not only because of the queues to get in but also because I am not that into art. I know we probably should have & if we had more time there I think I might have gone in but I will save it for the next time I visit Paris.

Finally after a bit more shopping we made our way to Notre Dame which is an amazing building. It is so detailed & ornate which the last photo doesn't really show that well. Again there was a huge queue to go in & we decided to go & sit in the gardens & do a bit of people watching which I love doing. There was a group of drama students practising a piece that was set in a church & seemed slightly obscure to me (as many drama school performances do), couples, children playing, tourists - you name it, they were there.

We then jumped on the metro, made our way to the station, got on the really fast train, changed to the normal train, caught the bus & then walked home from the bus stop just before midnight.

Our Paris adventure was over.

FRANCE - PARIS

That night Ingrid had booked a bus tour to see the city at night all lit up so we went to the supermarket & bought a whole heap of food & had a mini picnic in our room. We bought way too much (Ingrid’s fault - as she said, her eyes were bigger than her stomach) & after that went for a spa & swim in the hotel’s pool which, for a reasonably priced hotel, was very nice.
We had a bit of a problem when we got to the office of the company that ran the bus tour. They had no record of the booking that Ingrid had made & paid for through her travel agent. She rang the 24 hour hotline but there was nothing they could do but take a message. She was not a happy camper! So we had to wait until the last minute to see if there were any free seats as they were apparently booked out. Luckily there were. It was beautiful seeing the city & all the monuments lit up at night. The only problem was that we had had such an early start that morning with not enough sleep & the bus was really hot with lots of people (we were up on the top level which was even hotter) that we struggled to stay awake. We could the metro back to the hotel & even though it was midnight there were lots of people on it. I guess it’s true what they say about Paris being the city that never sleeps. (At least I think it’s Paris they are talking about, if not it should be).

FRANCE - PARIS

We got up at 4.30am to catch a taxi to the station, then a train to Rotterdam & then the high speed train to Paris. The best way to get around there is the metro. You can buy a two day pass but for some odd reason it’s cheaper to buy a separate pass for each day. What’s the story with that? I thought the whole point to buying longer was to save money. We made our way to the hotel & our room was ready even though we were early which was great as we could leave our bags (containing little more than a clean pair of undies & a toothbrush) & start checking out the sites.
First of all we went to Sacre Coeur (first photo - the second is of us with with the view from Sacre Coeur behind us) which is a beautiful old church on the top of a hill (quite a climb now that I am stuffed to the gills with waffles & gelati). It was an absolutely glorious day with people everywhere, although I imagine there are not many days that Paris is not chock a block with tourists & locals. We went inside & Ingrid lit a candle for her Mum. It was sad to see that despite the signs that said no photos, people were still taking them like they did at The Vatican.
We wanted to go & see the artist’s area & walked back down the hill only to find that it is behind the church & we needed to go back up. Lazy things that we are we decided to catch a cable car up there. After wandering around looking at the very expensive paintings, shopping & eating gelati we went down the hill, jumped on the metro & headed for the Eiffel Tower. Man is it big! You have to walk so far away to be able to take a photo with the whole thing in it. There was a 45 minute wait to actually go up it but we were happy to just look around, sit on the grass in the sun, eat & people watch. Obviously there is no need to explain which are the Eiffel Tower photos).
Interesting fact - there are sections of the tower that have a kind of mesh thingy over it that leans out slightly. This was apparently put there to catch anyone who decided to commit suicide. Possibly to thwart their plans & also so there was no-one falling on the people below or going splat on the ground.

HOLLAND - EINDHOVEN

On Tuesday the tour were headed off to Munich & I was going back to Holland. After breakfast & saying goodbye I took a taxi to the airport. There was some serious traffic in Prague that morning but I made it in time.
Once I got to Holland I took the train back to Eindhoven where Ingrid lives. Yes Sarah - all by myself. Although I must admit that Ingrid had shown me where to buy the ticket & how to get to the platform when she picked me up the first time. But still……I’m impressed with myself. Ingrid picked me up & we went back home to have cake (like my waist line needed it) for Li-Xings 9th birthday. Then it was packing about two things into a back pack for our two day trip to Paris.

CZECH REPUBLIC - PRAGUE

Monday was our free day & we jumped on the metro in the morning & went to Hradcany Castle (not sure of the spelling on that one). We decided not to pay & go in, as after awhile you get a bit over looking at castles as they are everywhere, so we walked around, looked at the great view of Prague (it was up on a hill) & listened to buskers (who were great by the way). We then walked over the Charles Bridge which took us back to the main part of town. We did a bit of shopping (I bought a great red bag - that is until the colour started coming out on my clothes - hopefully if I wash it a few times it will be okay) & then met some of the others for a water bike ride. We have them at home so it was nothing new but great to do it in a new place. There were 8 of us in 2 boats - there wasn’t a large area we could go in as we had to keep out of the path of big boats so we got a bit bored & had races or played dodgem cars (again slightly juvenile).
After that we split up a bit - Monica & I wanted to go to the Jewish Museum (photo 2) & no-one else did. The Jewish community was forced to live in what they called a “ghetto” & parts of this is what you can see today. The Pinkas Synagogue has names of the 80,000 victims along with the name of their community written on the walls. It is hand written & goes on for room after room after room.
The most incredible thing we saw was the cemetery which was established in the first half of the 15th century. Even though it was enlarged a few times there still wasn’t enough space & they added layers of soil & buried people on top of each other. There are 12,000 tombstones although the number of people buried there is much greater. The headstones were practically on top of each other - it was an amazing sight but we could not take photos. I have never seen a cemetery like it.
The whole group then met for dinner in a traditional restaurant - I just had soup (not very traditional) as I had filled up on fruit, scorched almonds, gingerbread & latte earlier in the day.
The last photo is of the whole group which includes about 5 new people that joined the tour in Prague. I don’t know if I mentioned this before but I was the oldest on the tour by about 5 years. So all you people that I tease for being old farts can take joy in the fact that this time it was me!
Interesting fact - before the war the Czech Republic was called just that. They peacefully decided to join with Slovakia to ensure a stronger nation to see them through the war. They then became Czechoslovakia. After the war they had what is called a “velvet divorce” where they amicably became two separate countries again & reverted back to being the Czech Republic.

CZECH REPUBLIC - PRAGUE

The drive from Vienna to Prague was not too long & we reached our hotel around lunchtime. We had free time until dinner so we decided to take the metro into town to have a look around as staying at the hotel just seemed like wasting time. The metro was pretty simple but trying to get the tickets was not. First of all the Czech Republic have their own money called crowns (not sure if that’s spelt right), so we had to get some of that. The guy at the station wouldn’t take notes (not sure what the point of him being there is if you can’t buy tickets from him & get change) so we had to go to the supermarket to buy something to get some coins. I obviously don’t speak Czech but the lady at the till was not impressed that a group of foreigners came in with big bank notes to buy one little thing. I think we cleaned her out of change - there was a fair amount of grumbling & throwing of money going on.
Once in the city we just wandered around looking at things we were not going to see on the walking tour later that night & buying some souveniers. We stopped at a park (photo 1 of Rimi, Daniel, myself & Fran all trying to look like it’s a casual shot & failing very badly) & it was nice to be outside sitting in the fresh air surrounded by lots of green stuff.
We met back at the hotel for dinner which was the best one yet. It was a buffet which may have had something to do with it as you can choose what you want. Although most of us seemed to try everything, which my ever expanding waist line is none too happy about.
After dinner it was back onto the metro & into town where Roma gave us a guided walking tour. These are good as it helps us decide what we want to do the next day which is a free day. I have put in a photo of Roma (number 2) talking as I don’t think I had added one of her yet.
One of the places we went to was the Old Town Square where they have an Astronomical clock (photo 3) that every hour does some sort of cuckoo clock type thing. We were all waiting for this & ran over as it started (like a bunch of other tourists did too) but it was such an anti climax. As Roma pointed out, it might have seemed really crap to us but in the 14th century (or whenever it was made) it would have been really exciting.
After the tour we went to the Beer Factory (I think that’s the name) where you sit at a table with your own beer contraption in the middle with a lot of handles & pull your own beer (the last photo). There is even a glass washer at the table. As well as washing glasses this was great for spraying anyone within a 2m radius with water - don’t think it made us too popular with the waiters. It was fairly juvenile actually but still fun. Anyway you then just pay for how many litres you drink - the beer drinking table in our group went through something like 20-25 litres, maybe even more! Those of us who don’t like beer had cocktails - I had “Sex on the beach” - twice. Big night for me!
Interesting fact - the man who designed the Astronomical clock was made blind so that he could never make a copy & it would be the only one in the world. Good idea (although slightly barbaric) until the clock needed to be repaired & no-one but him knew how to fix. A little bit of foresight may have been a good thing but obviously something they lacked back in the days when Jesus was playing fullback for the Saints (little bit of a Dalton saying there - it will make sense if you knew my Dad).

AUSTRIA - VIENNA

We left for Vienna straight after breakfast & stopped by the summer palace of the Hofburg family who were the Royal family who, with the treaty at the end of WW1, were exiled from Austria. At least that’s what I think (again no brochure). We didn’t have long enough there to go through the actual palace but we could walk around the grounds & have something to eat. While there, Debbie & I went to a strudel making display. I have attached a bit of a video of the chef making it - he was actually a bit grumpy (see below).
Our hotel this time was a four star which was very nice & located close enough to walk to everything. We had a bit of a driving tour on our way to the hotel which gave us an idea of what we wanted to see. We first went to the local markets which had heaps & heaps of produce (first photo). Fruit, vegies, meat, pastries, chocolate & more - it was lovely! I bought some strawberries coated in thick white chocolate. Now I know I don’t like strawberries but I love them when they are like this. Go figure!
As we really only had the afternoon in Vienna we then just walked the city looking at things like the Hofburg winter palace (the second photo is of Monica, Fran & I with the Palace way in the background), St. Stephen's Cathedral, Opera House & all those important historical, touristy buildings & then did a bit of shopping & having lattes (which I am getting quite used to).
Interesting fact - Marie Therese was the first woman to rule Austria (her Dad had the rule changed as he had no sons) & she had 16 children in 20 years! So apparently we should be able to have a career & children if she managed a whole empire (which included more than just Austria) & had a shite load of kids at the same time.

Another interesting fact (not as good as the first one though) - there are ancient Roman ruins in Vienna (she photo number 3).

HUNGARY - BUDAPEST

Our next stop was the local markets, which are kind of like the Vic or South Melbourne markets, where we got lunch (the first photo is Fran, Monica & I at the market before we pigged out on all the great food there). It was very cheap even after converting to dollars. As we were in Budapest we were using forints so in our head we first had to convert the forints to euros & then the euros to dollars. Very confusing. Thank goodness most of Europe uses euros now.
After lunch we walked to the Budavari Labirintus which is a labyrinth of underground passages & secret rooms used during the war (I think). Sorry no brochure. Anyway it was pretty crap & overpriced so no need to say any more about it. Apart from the fact that although I am eating a lot, my bum isn't really as big as it looks in the second photo which is taken in the Labyrinth with Fran, Luke & Daniel. At least I hope it's not really as big as it appears!
Our last call of the day was to go to the Turkish baths (thermal water kind of thing) but after having a look & not being that impressed, we decided not to go in. I think we were all absolutely knackered as well & just couldn’t be bothered. It also meant we got back in time to go out for dinner with everyone to a place that sells huuuuuuge schnitzels. Monica & I shared one (see snap shot numero 3) & still did not get through it & as you can see from the photo, it is massive. We followed this by a quick drink (well quick for the non partying people on the tour - like moi) at a bar (Monica & I in the last photo).
Interesting fact - Budapest is separated into two parts by the Danube River & the residential side is called Buda & the commercial is called Pest (or it could be the other way around.)

HUNGARY - BUDAPEST

Up early (just for something completely different) for the drive to Budapest. We stopped off at the Citdel (it’s something to do with the independence of Hungary - I think, the photo is of Rimi obviously doing an impersonation of the statue behind her) & then did a driving tour of the city & had dinner at the hotel. While the hotel was pretty good (although Kate & I had to share a double bed - we each got our own doona though) it was in a bit of a dodgy area. So no walking around on my own at night (as if I would anyway).
The second day was a free day & 5 of us organized the things we wanted to see & got going early(ish) to make the most of the day. We were going to take public transport but found it slightly confusing so decided to walk instead. It was probably a good thing as all that exercise meant we could justify all the crap we were eating. Well it’s not really crap (except for all the snacks on the bus) it’s just that you seem to eat more than you normally would. We walked alllllllll over the city & were trying to figure out how far - someone said 10km & others thought it was way more than that. All I know is that at 6pm when we got back to the hotel, my feet were killing me.
So anyway the first place we went to was the “Terror Haza” which is the House of Terror. In 1944 it was the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis & then from 1945 to 1956 the AVO & AVH both of which were communist terror organisations. It is now a museum that commemorates & documents these two periods in history & what the victims lived (if they were lucky) & died through. Notice how informative & accurate that sounded & that I didn’t write “I think” at the end? Well that’s because I was taking the info off a brochure instead of relying on my memory. Perhaps I should do that a bit more.

The second photo is of the outside of the building. The part that is sticking out has a cut out of the words "terror" & when the sun hits it at certain times of the day, the word is reflected onto the side of the building. The last photo shows part of a wall in the museum which is just line upon line of victims' names. It was an incredible place - the basement where the cells were was very eerie with a strange smell. It certainly had the feeling that a lot of bad things had happened there.

SLOVENIA - LJUBLJANA

One of the places we went to look at in Slovenia was an old castle but we had to walk up this really steep hill to get there which was exhausting. The castle was nothing much (mostly because it had been modernised so much so we didn't go in) but it was so hard going down the hill as it was so steep. Although we look like we are dancing in this photo we really slipped down a lot of the way.

We also went out for dinner that night instead of eating in the hotel & I had soup in bread cup. It‘s like that spinach dip in a cob loaf that is really popular. Very odd but nice. Mind you I could have had wild boar, horse, bulls testicles etc. which would be odder (is odder actually a word)?
We went to a bar after dinner called Pr’Skelet which I believe is Skeleton in Slovene. Lots of bones all over the place as you can see from the photo - my kind of place (Bones rules!). Some dodgy looking dude almost started a fight & got kicked out (he looked pretty scary actually) & apart from two for the price of one cocktails, that was the excitement for the night. The photo is of me, Renee, Fran, Monica & Debbie enjoying our bargain cocktails.

So far Slovenia is my favorite place - it is so pretty & clean & just has a lovely feel to it.

SLOVENIA - LJUBLJANA

Once again we left at 8am, this time for Ljubljana in Slovenia. Before we got to the hotel we stopped off at the Postojna Caves which are the largest in world at 21km long. At least I am pretty sure they are the largest, maybe it’s in Europe not the world. Anyway if not, they are certainly up there with the biggest. The first photo is Monica & I in the train that takes you into the caves & the second is off the caves at the entrance. You can't take photos in the actual caves as the flash destroys them & the animals that live there. Despite the guide telling everyone several times, people kept taking photos. What's wrong with just doing the right thing????
After that we drove to the hotel to drop off our bags & then went into the city. We walked around the town taking in the sights & the beautiful architecture. It's quite a young place as there are a lot of people studying there.

The third photo is of Judy, me, Rimi & Monica (with me trying to do something other than just stand there) & then a shot of the river & buildings so you can see the architecture.

ITALY - VENICE

After leaving Rome we had a six hour bus trip to Venice. We got there late & had a 3 course dinner at about 9pm - I am going to explode after this trip! I know I don’t have to eat it all but……..well you know. The photo at the table just before we started pigging out is (from left to right) Monica, yours truly, Rimi, Judy & Kate (I now have a room mate & it’s Kate - she is a Brisbane girl).
The next morning we all caught the local bus to Venice & our Topdeck guide Roma (who is Lithuanian) gave us a walking tour & explained some of the history of Venice. We then had the option to go on a Gondola ride & about half of us did. A lot of people thought it would be a waste as you can see the city just by walking around. But come on - you can’t go all the way to Venice & not go on a Gondola! Oh yeah, the other reason for some of the girls was because it’s a romantic thing to do & they want to wait until they come back with a man.
Blah, blah, blah, vomit, vomit, vomit.
Okay fine....... it would be nice to do a gondola ride with someone you love but what if you never get back there?
Want to go to Italy Joyce? It’s the kind of thing we should do! Maybe we’ve already done it in our previous life.
Sorry, getting slightly off track there.
After the gondola we had free time so we found a restaurant to have some lunch & then wandered around (slightly aimlessly) shopping & getting lost. Which is very easy to do in Venice & it's half the fun of going there. We lost a few of the boys from lunch as I think they could see that we were going into every shop possible & bailed as early as they could.
Venice is famous for (apart from the obvious of being an island of canals) Murano glass & those masks people wear at masquerade balls. It is also famous for expensive food & drink. It costs 1.80 euro to have a latte at the bar but 8.50 to have it outside at the tables. Convert that into dollars - it’s almost a deposit on a house!!!!!
I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be with Venice as it’s more run down than I had imagined & not as pretty either. I still loved it though but I guess I am comparing all the architecture to Amsterdam which I thought was just wonderful.
We found somewhere fairly cheap to have dinner & got back to the hotel about 9ish after catching a water bus back to where we needed to catch the local bus.

The other photos are Rimi, Me, Fran, Judy & Luke just trying to make a photo more interesting. Me in front of the Bell Tower in Piazza St. Marco (just near St. Marco's Church) & Judy, Rimi, Daniel, Me & Fran in the gondola.
St. Marco’s church & piazza.

ITALY - ROME

On the second day we got up early to go to Vatican City & see the Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica. We joined some others & had a guided tour. Our guide was an American girl who lives in Italy about 6 months of the year, speaks about 4 different languages & is learning a 5th. She was a great guide - it is definitely a skill - you need to be a great story teller. What an amazing place - the history, the art, the propaganda, the workings of the Catholic Church & the wealth!
An interesting fact that I learnt today - 30,000 people visit Vatican City each day.
Second interesting fact from today (there was actually heaps of things I learnt but I figure two is enough to tell you about - don‘t want to turn this into a history lesson - also I didn‘t retain them all) - Michaelangelo had never painted before he did he the Sistine Chapel, he didn’t want to do it but was forced to by the Pope, it took him about 4 & a half years & ruined his health.

The first photo is of a board which shows you the Sistine Chapel - you can't take photos in the actual Chapel so this was the best I could do (the amount of people that do though is unbelievable). The camera flashes ruin the painting over time plus the Japanese production company that paid for the restoration have copyright to it. Then we have a photo in the main courtyard of the Vatican & one of me in St Peter's Basilica.

ITALY - ROME

These are just a few extra photos of Rome that I really like.

A building, a sign, Judy & I eating pizza & an old couple that waved to us as we took their photo.